Explaining RISC-V: An x86 & ARM Alternative

RISC-V is an alternative microprocessor technology to x86 and ARM, with its instruction set architecture (ISA) being open rather than closed. This video explains what RISC-V is all about, including its origins, key market players, hardware, applications, intellectual property (IP), and the likely role of global politics and international trade barriers in determining RISC-V’s success. Note that I have posted a "RISC-V 2024 Update" video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6mPK3QCrBo -- and a "RISC-V 2023 Update" video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJVSZEX6d9M My previous review of the VisionFive RISC-V SBC that can run a Linux OS is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PoWAsBOsFs And my review of the Nezha RISC-V SBC that can also run a Linux OS is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=613yEF6SrNo REFERENCES Specific sources included in the video are as follows: RISC-V International: https://riscv.org/ The first RISC-V Instruction Set Manual (from 2011): https://www2.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2011/EECS-2011-62.pdf SiFive website: https://www.sifive.com/ and RISC-V core IP: https://www.sifive.com/risc-v-core-ip SiFive development boards: https://www.sifive.com/boards Samsung to use SiFive RISC-V cores: https://riscv.org/news/2019/12/samsung-to-use-sifive-risc-v-cores-for-socs-automotive-5g-applications-anton-shilov-anandtech/ T-Head Xuantie product overview: https://www.t-head.cn/product/overview Alibaba (T-Head) open sources Xuantie RISC-V cores: https://pandaily.com/alibaba-announces-open-source-risc-v-based-xuantie-series-processors/ Western Digital RISC-V: https://www.westerndigital.com/en-gb/solutions/risc-v -- the technology brief pdf is particularly interesting: https://documents.westerndigital.com/content/dam/doc-library/en_us/assets/public/western-digital/collateral/tech-brief/tech-brief-western-digital-risc-v.pdf Chinese Academy of Sciences release Xiangshan RISC-V processor: https://min.news/en/tech/022cca805cb0cb847ac91d99536b1f90.html Russia to Build 8-Core RISC-V CPUs for Laptops, Government Systems: https://www.extremetech.com/computing/324735-russia-to-build-8-core-risc-v-cpus-for-laptops-government-system India selects RISC-V for semiconductor self-sufficiency contest: https://www.theregister.com/2020/08/19/india_microprocessor_challenge_risc_v/ More videos on computing and related topics can be found at http://www.youtube.com/explainingcomputers You may also like my ExplainingTheFuture channel at: http://www.youtube.com/explainingthefuture If you are looking to purchase some of the hardware items that I use in my videos, I have created an Amazon Storefront here: https://www.amazon.com/shop/explainingcomputers Please note that as an Amazon Associate I earn a commission from any qualifying purchases you may make. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:26 Open & Closed ISAs 03:55 RISC-V Origins 05:15 Market Players 08:43 Entering the Mainstream 10:34 The Third Platform #RISC-V #x86 #ARM #ExplainingComputers