
SiFive to Debut RISC-V PC for Developers Based on Freedom U740 Next-Gen SoC - guerby
https://www.cnx-software.com/2020/09/15/sifive-to-debut-risc-v-pc-for-developers-based-on-freedom-u740-next-gen-soc/
======
jagger27
Bring it on. If Arm is the future of desktop computing, it'll need a
competitor.

~~~
mhh__
The likelihood of ARM sailing off into the distance and x86 disappearing is
very slim. It's worth keeping in mind that they have more in common than you
might think (i.e. RISC and CISC don't mean a huge amount any more when the old
x86 instructions aren't used any more and ARM had/has a JavaScript
instruction)

~~~
aiilns
Sorry for going off topic, but your comment confuses me. Doesn't "sail off
into the distance" mean to disappear? But you're saying the opposite in your
comment?

My reasonibg being that when a ship sails off into the distance it disappears
from view.

~~~
athriren
You read it right.

I think they are saying it is unlikely ARM or x86 disappear, and that these
instruction sets share some unexpected commonalities. They are not otherwise
comparing/contrasting x86 and ARM, they are basically evaluating if either one
seems likely to disappear and answering in their opinion: “no”.

------
etaioinshrdlu
I wonder to what extent the digital logic design is open source. The RISC-V
core ought to be, but what about the memory controller or PCIE root complex,
(or USB3)? Those parts are also very important.

~~~
gchadwick
Just because it's RISC-V doesn't mean it's open source. RISC-V is an open
architecture so anyone can make an implementation but those implementations
can be closed source. SiFive have released some open source stuff
([https://github.com/sifive/freedom](https://github.com/sifive/freedom)) but
the majority of their work is closed source IP. In a way they're quite similar
to arm.

~~~
userbinator
Just like ARM, the only thing standard is the core and there is massive (and
almost always publicly undocumented) diversity of everything else.

~~~
brandmeyer
Not _just_ like ARM. You don't need a license to implement a RISC-V compatible
machine. IIUC, you only need to pass a compliance test to brand your machine
RISC-V and use the trademark.

------
guerby
Press release:

[https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200914005108/en/SiF...](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200914005108/en/SiFive-
To-Introduce-New-RISC-V-Processor-Architecture-and-RISC-V-PC-at-Linley-Fall-
Virtual-Processor-Conference)

------
nickik
If this is anywhere reasonably price and has open firmware, I'm in.

------
ncmncm
Sigh. Still without the Bitmanip instructions.

Meaning, no popcount :-P

~~~
brandmeyer
That spec is just a draft, and still undergoing revision. Its close in spirit
to a Scheme RFI (request for implementation). Until the consortium ratifies it
(ie, members state their intention to implement it), its just a wishlist. A
well-reasoned wishlist, but a wishlist just the same.

~~~
ncmncm
Exactly the point: _no popcount_.

It is just hard to imagine the thought process that would leave something as
important as popcount to such a dodgy and long-delayed prospect; hard to
imagine omitting it from the core instruction set, so that it is only ever
implemented, if ever, in the most distended and expensive chips.

~~~
msla
The Pentium didn't include a popcount opcode. One wonders how such a crippled
chip ever made it in the world.

~~~
ncmncm
Everything has it now. The NSA demanded that any machine they use have it,
going back to the '60s. For reasons.

------
farseer
Have not seen any RISC-V offering from the Chinese yet. I wonder if SiFive
will have any competition.

~~~
krasin
Here you go: M5Stack tiny computer with a camera, LCD and RISC-V AI-capable
Chinese chip (Kendryte K210). Available on Digikey for $26.50:
[https://www.digikey.com/products/en?keywords=K027&v=2221](https://www.digikey.com/products/en?keywords=K027&v=2221)

~~~
m0zg
This is not Linux-capable though. The choices are FreeRTOS and bare metal. The
chip is pretty unbelievable at that price though. You get a lot of
functionality for $9. And it works - I have it on my desk.

~~~
jack12
For some value of "capable":
[https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/master/arch/riscv/con...](https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/master/arch/riscv/configs/nommu_k210_defconfig)

