SiFive, a leading company in RISC-V computing, has announced the launch of its fourth generation SiFive Essential Gen4 products. These products, based on the RISC-V open architecture, offer higher performance, improved power efficiency, and more flexible interfaces. SiFive’s Essential IP, which has been developed over a decade and is already in use in billions of products, including mobile phones and surveillance cameras, has been gaining ground on market leader Arm.
According to John Ronco, SiFive’s SVP of product, the fourth generation of RISC-V embedded solutions is a significant improvement. With cost-effective flexibility, performance, and low power consumption, RISC-V has emerged as the preferred choice for embedded systems. As legacy instruction set architectures (ISAs) have reduced research and development and support, SiFive is expanding its Essential product portfolio to meet the growing demand for innovation in these critical areas.
SiFive has already achieved significant success in the market, with 350 design wins and two billion chips based on its designs sold. The company has seen strong momentum in the embedded segments where the Essential Gen4 products are expected to provide impressive flexibility and features for customers to tailor their designs. The market for embedded systems is projected to reach $257 billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 8.3%. SiFive and RISC-V are well-positioned to capitalize on this growth and gain market share from other ISAs.
Rich Wawrzyniak, a principal analyst at The SHD Group, emphasizes the importance of embedded products and the role RISC-V can play in future high-performance chips. He believes that the flexibility and software portability of RISC-V make it easier to design products with multiple cores, including high-performance cores. This clear pathway for RISC-V into the next generations of high-performance chips demonstrates its potential for continued success.
The Essential Gen4 IP portfolio offered by SiFive includes a wide range of RISC-V CPU and system IP options. These options provide up to 40% runtime power reduction, eight different baseline embedded 32-bit and 64-bit cores, improved cache and memory capabilities, extensive configuration and integration options, and various choices for CPU type, on-chip memories, and system, peripheral, and front ports. The portfolio also boasts advanced power management, security features, and leading software support.
In conclusion, SiFive’s fourth generation SiFive Essential Gen4 products represent a significant advancement in RISC-V computing. With their improved performance, power efficiency, and flexible interfaces, these products are poised to meet the growing demand for embedded solutions. SiFive’s success in the market, along with the projected growth of the embedded systems market, highlights the potential for RISC-V to continue gaining momentum and taking market share from other ISAs. The comprehensive Essential Gen4 IP portfolio offers customers a wide range of options to customize their designs and meet their specific requirements.