RISC-V instruction set architecture is rapidly expanding, with China emerging as a significant force in its development and adoption.
Jul. 25, 2025 –
The open standard RISC-V instruction set architecture is rapidly expanding its global footprint, with China emerging as a significant force in its development and adoption. The upcoming RISC-V Summit China 2025 in Shanghai underscores the nation’s burgeoning contributions to the ecosystem.
Andrea Gallo, CEO of RISC-V International, speaking in an interview with EE Times, remarked on the consistent global maturity of RISC-V, stating, “wherever we go in the world, we see the same level of maturity in adopting RISC-V, in working with RISC-V, the same level of technical expertise and contribution.”
This observation, Gallo noted, aligns with the philosophy articulated by Calista Redmond, the former CEO of RISC-V International, to “invest locally and engage globally.” Gallo highlighted the parallelism seen across geographies, including Brazil, where thousands of students are reportedly building AI products based on RISC-V, affirming that he does not “see any differences across geographies and that is an incredible message to me.”
He further emphasized, “It’s a very positive, powerful message that wherever we go, we see the same level of academia, they’re all having similar levels of expertise and contribution.”
China’s strategic RISC-V pillars
China’s robust RISC-V development concentrates in three influential hubs: Beijing, Hangzhou, and Shanghai. The RISC-V China summit, organized locally, has historically rotated among these key locations—having been held in Beijing two years ago and Hangzhou last year—reflecting this distributed yet interconnected growth.
The open-source frontier with BOSC
Beijing hosts the Beijing Institute of Open-Source Chip (BOSC) initiative, led by Dr. Yungang Bao, a prominent figure in the open-source community.
BOSC has developed open-source RISC-V cores and provides comprehensive open-source design tools accessible via browsers. Gallo noted the striking similarity to an initiative in Brazil, where cloud-based tools allow for drag-and-drop RISC-V core building.