US Weighs National Security Risks of China's RISC-V Chip Development Involvement

[AleksandarK]

The US government is investigating the potential national security risks associated with China's involvement in the development of open-source RISC-V chip technology. According to a letter obtained by Reuters, the Department of Commerce has informed US lawmakers that it is actively reviewing the implications of China's work in this area. RISC-V, an open instruction set architecture (ISA) created in 2014 at the University of California, Berkeley, offers an alternative to proprietary and licensed ISAs like those developed by Arm. This open-source ISA can be utilized in a wide range of applications, from AI chips and general-purpose CPUs to high-performance computing applications. Major Chinese tech giants, including Alibaba and Huawei, have already embraced RISC-V, positioning it as a new battleground in the ongoing technological rivalry between the United States and China over cutting-edge semiconductor capabilities.

In November, a group of 18 US lawmakers from both chambers of Congress urged the Biden administration to outline its strategy for preventing China from gaining a dominant position in RISC-V technology, expressing concerns about the potential impact on US national and economic security. While acknowledging the need to address potential risks, the Commerce Department noted in its letter that it must proceed cautiously to avoid unintentionally harming American companies actively participating in international RISC-V development groups. Previous attempts to restrict the transfer of 5G technology to China have created obstacles for US firms involved in global standards bodies where China is also a participant, potentially jeopardizing American leadership in the field. As the review process continues, the Commerce Department faces the delicate task of balancing national security interests with the need to maintain the competitiveness of US companies in the rapidly evolving landscape of open-source chip technologies.



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[Carillon]

x86, power, mips are ok, but risc-v is where we draw the line!
You will not enter the "half a raspberrypi performance" market! And we'll make sure by... something or other!

(I know risc-v is not to blame for the performance of current consumer products)

 

[JasBC]

Ffs. . .

 

[redeye]

***no fair!, you are better than me, I am just going to Take my “RISC-V” and go home, so nobody is going to play…***
(US loves competition until they lose, then they ban stuff… )

yo know US, competition makes you stronger… but when US is not any good, they just don’t like the Sport. see non-US football. (tik-tok)

why is the US afaid of better craftsmen, outside of the US?… (when they can not control them)

 

[ncrs]

x86, power, mips are ok, but risc-v is where we draw the line!

MIPS already has over 20 years of history for Chinese involvement resulting in a series of designs and architectural evolutions:

Source
The latest iteration using LoongArch, which is MIPS-like, is able to somewhat match Intel Skylake/AMD Zen 1.

I'm not sure how RISC-V can be limited by the US government when it is a set of specifications designed with openness and royalty-free access as guiding principles.

 

[evernessince]

***no fair!, you are better than me, I am just going to Take my “RISC-V” and go home, so nobody is going to play…***
(US loves competition until they lose, then they ban stuff… )

yo know US, competition makes you stronger… but when US is not any good, they just don’t like the Sport. see non-US football. (tik-tok)

Read the article next time, nothing has been announced as being banned nor has that been suggested by the US as an option yet. The article merely points out that the US government wants to proceed cautiously to ensure US national security is protected while balancing that against business interests. It's a nuanced conversation, precisely the opposite of the hyperbole you are purporting.

It'd also be wise to note that China has went as far as to create it's own state funded silicon design and manufacturing companies to supply the state. If the US decided to take actions to protect it's national security interests it would still not compare to the steps the Chinese government has done to protect it's own. It's hypocritical to call out the US saying it fears competition when in fact China has already taken the nuclear option in many respects. That's before you consider all the restrictions and requirements China already places on foreign business.

why is the US afaid of better craftsmen, outside of the US?… (when they can not control them)

What drivel. You do realize that Japan, Australia, Taiwan, Germany, South Korea, and others all co-exist with the United States and compete with it in various fields.

The countries that the US takes actions against to protection national security are well known bad actors. China, Russia, and North Korea for example.

You are in essence taking your own misrepresentation of the article and implying that somehow it signifies a much broader body of evidence in regards to free international trade. The fact of the matter is China has and is a far more restrictive economy than the United States is. Even in a scenario where the United States does take action to protect it's interests that would represent a very small policy shift that doesn't nearly put the US on China's level. By all economic measures the US is one of the most open economies while China is vastly more closed.