With the rapid development of electric vehicle (EV) technology, innovation in chip architecture has undoubtedly become a key driving force to drive this field forward. With the increasing emphasis on sustainable energy and eco-friendly mobility across the globe, the electric vehicle market is experiencing unprecedented growth. In this technological revolution, the RISC-V architecture is gradually emerging with its unique advantages of open source, flexibility, and scalability, and has become the core focus of chip innovation in the era of electric vehicles. Based on the wonderful speech of Mr. Xu Chaobing, assistant to the chairman of Silergy, at the [2024 International Component Industry Chain Global Expansion Forum] held at the Shenzhen World Convention and Exhibition Center on November 8, China Exportsemi will try to deeply discuss the chip architecture innovation of RISC-V in the era of electric vehicles and its far-reaching impact on the global technology industry.
Figure: Mr. Xu Chaobing, Assistant to the Chairman of Silergy Corp., delivered a speech on "Chip Architecture Innovation in the RISC-V EV Era"
RISC-V's global layout and supply chain advantages
As a leader in the domestic semiconductor industry, Silergy has already achieved remarkable results in its globalization strategy. With excellent R&D capabilities and strong market competitiveness, Silergy's overseas sales have accounted for half of the company's total sales. Similarly, the global footprint of the RISC-V architecture has demonstrated extraordinary breadth and depth. From Asia to the Americas to Europe, RISC-V is ubiquitous, and its influence transcends national borders and has become an important bridge connecting global scientific and technological innovation.
In China, the development of RISC-V has received great attention and strong support from the government. As a global open-source organization, the RISC-V Foundation has gathered more than 4,100 members, covering more than 70 countries and regions, involving 14 industries and 165 research institutions. This large membership group not only provides a steady stream of innovation power for the rapid development of RISC-V technology, but also lays a solid foundation for the promotion and application of RISC-V on a global scale.
Figure: RISC-V's rapidly developing ecosystem
In terms of supply chain, Silergy. has always adhered to the multi-source strategy of global supply chain, and has established long-term and stable cooperative relations with many wafer foundries and packaging and testing plants in Chinese mainland, Taiwan and overseas. This diversified supply chain layout not only effectively guarantees the stability and security of the supply chain, but also provides strong support for the rapid promotion and application of the RISC-V architecture on a global scale. For example, well-known enterprises such as UMC 8N, Guangzhou Can&Semi, SMIC, and Hangzhou FullSemi in Chinese mainland, as well as industry giants such as UMC, PSMC, VIS, and TSMC in Taiwan, they are all important partners in the RISC-V supply chain.
RISC-V's ecological prosperity and mass production results
The RISC-V ecosystem is booming at an unprecedented rate. According to the latest data, as of 2023, the cumulative global shipments of RISC-V chips have exceeded the 10 billion mark, of which more than 50% of the shipments come from China. This data not only fully demonstrates the strong growth momentum of RISC-V technology, but also demonstrates its strong competitiveness in the global chip market.
Figure: RISC-V has achieved mass production at the level of 10 billion units
Looking ahead, the market prospect of RISC-V is even broader. It is estimated that by 2030, RISC-V will account for 20%-30% of the main products, becoming an important force to promote the development of the global chip industry. This prediction is not only based on the unique advantages and wide application prospects of RISC-V technology, but also reflects the high expectation and confidence of the global scientific and technological community for the future development of RISC-V.
RISC-V's outstanding performance in high-performance scenarios
With its high performance, low power consumption, and scalability, the RISC-V architecture has shown great application potential and advantages in the fields of automobiles, wearable devices, communications, and artificial intelligence. Especially in the automotive field, with the continuous development of autonomous driving technology and the continuous improvement of intelligence, the application demand for RISC-V is increasing. Its diverse computing forms and flexible configurable features enable RISC-V to easily cope with complex computing requirements in high-performance scenarios.
As a leading chip company in China, Silergy. has launched in-depth cooperation with a well-known domestic automobile company to jointly develop an automotive chip based on RISC-V architecture. This chip not only has excellent performance and stability, but also fully integrates the flexibility and scalability advantages of the RISC-V architecture, providing strong support for the intelligent development of the automotive industry. It is expected that the chip will be officially mass-produced and launched next year, which will open a new chapter for the wide application of RISC-V in the automotive field.
Figure: RISC-V is the ultimate answer in the context of the transformation of production relations
The construction of the RISC-V ecosystem and multi-party cooperation
In terms of building the RISC-V ecosystem, Silergy. has made remarkable progress and achievements. The company has established close cooperative relations with major partners around the world to jointly promote the development and application of RISC-V technology. Through resource sharing, complementary advantages, and collaborative innovation, Silergy. and its partners have jointly built a RISC-V ecosystem covering the entire chain of chip design, manufacturing, packaging and testing, and software development.
In addition, Silergy. actively participates in the work of the RISC-V Foundation and has made important contributions to the standardization and popularization of RISC-V technology. The company not only actively participates in the formulation and revision of RISC-V standards, but also continuously improves the popularity and influence of RISC-V technology by holding technical seminars and training activities.
In terms of the specific construction of the RISC-V ecosystem, Silergy. provides different configuration solutions from 8 cores to 2 cores, fully meeting the diverse needs of different automotive application scenarios. These products not only have the remarkable characteristics of high performance and low power consumption, but also are equipped with rich communication interfaces and powerful storage capabilities. For example, the SA32D816 models support up to 600MHz operating frequency, 16MB of Flash memory, and multiple CAN/FD and Ethernet interfaces, providing strong hardware support for the intelligent development of the automotive industry.
RISC-V software architecture with rigorous certifications
In terms of software architecture, Silergy. offers solutions in both non-AutoSAR and AutoSAR architectures to meet the needs and preferences of different customers. In the non-AutoSAR architecture, customers can run application software directly on the MCU hardware, enabling a more flexible and efficient development process. Under the AutoSAR architecture, Silergy. provides MCAL (Motorola Component Abstraction Layer) source code and configuration tools, as well as integration services with partner products such as Vector Elektrobit, ETAS, etc. These partners provide additional parts of the AUTOSAR basic software as well as integration services to ensure the integrity and reliability of the RISC-V solution.
In terms of certification, Silergy. products have undergone a rigorous AECQ-100 testing and certification process. These tests include temperature cycling tests, damp heat cycling tests, electrostatic discharge tests, and internal tightening tests to comprehensively evaluate the reliability and durability of the product. Through these tests and certifications, Silergy. products not only prove their stability and reliability in extreme environments, but also provide a solid guarantee for their application in the field of automotive electronics.
Conclusions and prospects
With its open-source nature and flexibility, the RISC-V architecture is gradually becoming an important force for chip innovation in the era of electric vehicles. As an important participant and promoter of the RISC-V ecosystem, Silergy. has made remarkable achievements and progress through its efforts in global layout, supply chain strategy, and ecosystem construction. With the continuous progress of technology and the improvement of the ecosystem, RISC-V is expected to achieve more brilliant achievements in the future.
The development of RISC-V is not only of great significance to Silergy, but also has a far-reaching impact on the entire chip industry and even global technology competition. It breaks the closed and monopoly of traditional chip architectures and promotes technological innovation and progress. At the same time, the open-source nature of RISC-V also lowers the threshold and cost of chip design, providing more enterprises and individuals with opportunities and possibilities to participate in the chip industry.
Looking forward to the future, with the continuous expansion of the electric vehicle market and the continuous improvement of the intelligent level, the application scenarios and market demand of RISC-V will be broader. Silergy. will continue to deepen the RISC-V field, strengthen collaborative innovation and technology exchanges with partners, and jointly promote the rapid development and wide application of RISC-V technology. At the same time, Silergy. will also actively explore new market opportunities and business models, and contribute more wisdom and strength to the prosperity and development of the RISC-V ecosystem.
In short, RISC-V, as the ultimate answer under the transformation of production relations, is leading the global chip industry to develop in a more open, flexible and intelligent direction with its unique advantages and wide application prospects. We have reason to believe that in the near future, RISC-V will become an important force to promote global scientific and technological progress and industrial development.
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