China ramps up homegrown RISC-V push to break free from x86 and Arm

In brief: China is making a major push for RISC-V processor designs as it intensifies efforts to reduce reliance on Western semiconductor technology. New government policies appear to be shifting the focus away from x86 and Arm chips in favor of processors built on the open-source instruction set.

The initiative has been drafted by a coalition of eight government agencies, including key players such as the Cyberspace Administration of China, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the China National Intellectual Property Administration.

According to Reuters, which cites anonymous sources, the policy guidance could be released as early as this month. Once enacted, it would mark China's first official national policy in support of RISC-V.

For China, the primary advantage of RISC-V is its open-source nature, which makes it free from what the government perceives as Western control. Anyone can develop or ...