The Chinese Academy of Sciences launches the next-generation open-source chip and system development

Question AI · How can the RISC-V open-source architecture support the autonomous and controllable development of China’s chip ecosystem?

On March 26, at the Zhongguancun Forum Annual Conference - RISC-V Ecological Technology Forum, the Chinese Academy of Sciences officially announced a series of important achievements in key technological breakthroughs in RISC-V, industrial collaborative innovation, and talent cultivation, focusing on the release of two major achievements: the “Xiangshan” open-source processor and the “Ruyi” native operating system, and officially launched the joint research and development work for the next generation of chips and operating systems.

Experts introduced that RISC-V is a globally free and open chip underlying architecture, equivalent to the “universal standard” in the chip industry. It does not require patent fees and can be modified independently, making it one of the important routes for our country to break through the chip ecosystem and develop controllable computing power.

On-site at the RISC-V Ecological Technology Forum. (Photo provided by the Chinese Academy of Sciences Audio-Visual Center)

The “Xiangshan” open-source high-performance RISC-V processor released at the meeting has achieved international advanced performance, and the world’s first open-source on-chip interconnect network IP was launched simultaneously, making it an internationally leading open-source high-performance RISC-V processor system. The “Ruyi” RISC-V native operating system takes the lead in fully supporting international standards, further solidifying the foundation of open-source software led by our country.

Currently, high-performance open-source chips have achieved large-scale industrial implementation. Companies like Jintiespace, Bluecore Computing, ChipMotion Technology, and Yiswei Computing have successfully launched commercial chips based on the “Xiangshan” processor, significantly reducing R&D costs for enterprises and allowing open-source chips to truly move from the laboratory to the production line.

At the forum, the joint research and development of the next-generation “Kunming Lake” architecture and the joint development of the “Ruyi” operating system were launched simultaneously. Dozens of organizations, including China Mobile, China Telecom, ZTE, Alibaba, Tencent, and ByteDance, will collaborate to tackle challenges across the entire chain covering chips, operating systems, terminals, and applications, accelerating the formation of an innovation system that closely integrates production, education, research, and application.

Ding Chibiao, Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, stated that our country has built an integrated RISC-V development system encompassing technological breakthroughs, industrial implementation, and talent cultivation, successfully forging a “Chinese path” for the landing of the open-source chip industry.

In terms of talent cultivation, the Chinese Academy of Sciences has simultaneously upgraded the “One Life, One Chip 2.0” and “Light Up Plan 2.0,” covering over 1,100 universities domestically and internationally, attracting more than 27,000 participants, and continuously supplying high-quality talent for the global open-source chip industry. (Reporter Hu Zhe)