In a surprising move, Google has removed support for RISC-V from the Android kernel. This decision is likely to have an impact on chip vendors targeting Android systems and devices, as they may need to put in extra effort to restore RISC-V support on their own. However, analysts believe that the change will not have a significant global impact, as most companies designing chips around RISC-V are not focusing on Android devices.
On the other hand, China has a different story. There are over 300 companies using RISC-V in the country, with major tech players like Alibaba Cloud, Huawei Technologies, and ZTE supporting the standard. In fact, RISC-V International, a non-profit group promoting RISC-V technology, has over half of its premier members from China. Other premier members include Google, Intel, and Qualcomm.
Alibaba’s Damo Academy is actively developing chips based on RISC-V for various applications. Similarly, Huawei and Tencent are also working on RISC-V-based CPUs. StarFive Technology, a Baidu-backed chip maker, is also working on RISC-V-based CPUs and plans to establish a semiconductor research and development lab in Hong Kong. Despite concerns in the US about Chinese investment in RISC-V development, China continues to contribute significantly to this field.
Companies already invested in RISC-V support for Android are expected to continue their projects despite this setback. However, there is still considerable work ahead for developers who want to restore support for this technology on their own. Overall, while this decision by Google may be concerning for some chip vendors targeting Android systems and devices