The Alibaba research division released many RISC-V-based processors under its XuanTie series, including the C920 and C910.
The server-grade XuanTie C930 processor launched by Alibaba Group Holding is reviving fresh momentum in China’s semiconductor industry by potentially expanding the open-source chip usage based on the RISC-V instruction set architecture, countering US tech restrictions.
RISC-V is an open-source instruction set architecture (ISA) that gives instructions that processors can understand and implement, where anyone can design and build custom processors without paying royalties.
The e-commerce giant’s research arm, Damo Academy, created the C930 central processing unit (CPU) design, developed by Alibaba semiconductor unit T-Head and aimed at high-performance computing applications, including data centre servers and driverless cars.
Damo Academy assured that the C930 would be shipped to customers this month at the chip’s launch in Beijing. Integrated circuit (IC) developers can access its CPU design.
Ni Guangnan, an academician from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, stated the open-source model will help develop an inclusive and collaborative global RISC-V ecosystem, making it the next engine for chip industry disruption.
The most recent open-source project from Hangzhou-based Alibaba shows that China is committed to overcoming US sanctions and the company’s advancements in RISC-V chip design over the past few years.
US trade restrictions have made it difficult for China to access advanced semiconductor technology and chipmaking equipment despite rising demand from domestic artificial intelligence (AI) development projects.
In a research note released on Wednesday, analysts at Guotai Junan Securities stated that RISC-V has significant potential in the AI era, just like how DeepSeek has disrupted OpenAI’s monopoly with its open-source, low-cost, high-performing advantages.
The breakthrough is that DeepSeek developed its open-source AI models, V3 and R1, at a fraction of the price and processing capacity that big tech companies usually need for large language model (LLM) projects.
LLMs are the technology foundation of generative AI services like DeepSeek’s chatbot, Baidu’s Ernie Bot, and OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
Open source gives public access to the source code, enabling outside developers to change or share its design, repair broken links, or expand its capabilities. Over the past few decades, open-source technologies have played a significant role in China’s tech industry.
According to Li Yangwei, a Beijing-based semiconductors and computer systems specialist, opportunities will line up in the next few years as RISC-V builds a cohesive and reliable software ecosystem.
The fifth version of the open standard reduction instruction set computer design, RISC-V, became a competitive alternative for Chinese chip designers.
These include Intel’s x86, which dominates the market for personal computers, and British company Arm Holdings, which is used extensively in the smartphone industry.
XianTue product information claimed that the C930 scored more than 15 points per gigahertz on the SPECint2006 benchmark tests, which measures a CPU’s performance. The score shows how the C930 meets the RISC-V system requirement in high-performance computing applications.
Damo claimed at the chip launch last month that its IC design team has helped to implement 30% of RISC-V high-performance processors.
The Alibaba research division released many RISC-V-based processors under its XuanTie series, including the C920 last year and the C910 in 2019.
Damo also revealed plans for new XuanTie processors, such as the C908X, R908A, and XL200, for AI acceleration, automotive applications, and high-speed networking.
Before Alibaba focused on RISC-V, chips based on that design were widely used in cheap applications like headphones and earbuds. RISC-V adoption for servers and laptops was minimal.
China will intensify its support for the development of RISC-V semiconductors. China intends to release guidelines to encourage people to use open-source RISC-V chips nationwide for the first time. It will be released soon.
Trade analysts SHD Group took a survey that reveals that shipments of RISC-V system-on-a-chip units will reach 16.2 billion by 2030, up from 1.3 billion in 2023, to reach a market size of US$92.7 billion.
