RISC-V
RISC-V suppliers are now designing for servers as well as embedded controllers. SiFive's P870-D is specified for coherent multicore scaling and has infrastructure features for datacentres. It is a core design offered for licence and some way from a deployed server. We still need finished chips, software support and like-for-like application measurements.
Research snapshot · updated Nov 12, 2026
Core thesis
RISC-V is an open standard for processor instructions. Anyone can use the instruction set without paying a licence fee, which lets companies design custom chips. They still pay for core designs, verification, software and manufacturing, and many RISC-V core designs are proprietary. Chinese firms are adopting it to reduce their dependence on Arm and x86. Alibaba's Xuantie, SiFive and Tenstorrent are among the leading designers. RISC-V is proven in embedded and low-power devices. Whether it can compete in high-performance computing is still open.
State of the art (2026)
RISC-V is entrenched in high-volume embedded silicon - storage controllers, IoT, MCUs - and is now pushing into application-class compute. The RVA23 application profile (ratified October 2024) gives OS distributions a single 64-bit target, and the RISC-V Server Platform spec is in final ratification, unlocking certified Linux servers. SiFive raised a $400m Series G in April 2026 at a $3.65bn valuation, its last private round before a planned IPO, while Tenstorrent, Ventana and Rivos race datacentre-class cores against Arm Neoverse. China is the structural accelerant: T-Head, StarFive and Loongson treat RISC-V as sanctions-resilient infrastructure. The soft spot is consumer mobile - Google pulled RISC-V from the Android common kernel in May 2024, leaving no mainstream phone path.
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Signal stack
Evidence stacked leading → lagging
9 signals
Signal stack
Evidence stacked leading → lagging
Technology-native KPIs
Metrics that predict trajectory, tracked over time
4 tracked
Technology-native KPIs
Metrics that predict trajectory, tracked over time
Landscape map
Who builds what, and who depends on whom
129 players · 6 layers
Landscape map
Who builds what, and who depends on whom
Catalyst calendar
Dated events that will move the position
5 ahead
Catalyst calendar
Dated events that will move the position
Technology roadmap
Milestones on the path to maturity
9 milestones
Technology roadmap
Milestones on the path to maturity
Watchlists
Companies, people and papers, each with a condition for removing it
20 · 20
Watchlists
Companies, people and papers, each with a condition for removing it
Decision frameworks
What our view means for your job
Locked
Decision frameworks
What our view means for your job
Thesis changelog
When our view changed, and why
8 updates
Thesis changelog
When our view changed, and why
Change our mind
3 disconfirming conditions
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