Renesas unveils first generation 32-bit RISC-V CPU core
Renesas Electronics Corporation has designed and tested a 32-bit RISC-V CPU core, providing an open and flexible platform for IoT, consumer electronics, healthcare and industrial systems..
Renesas is among the first in the industry to independently develop a CPU core for the 32-bit general-purpose RISC-V market. The first generation RISC-V CPU core will complement the existing IP portfolio of 32-bit microcontrollers (MCUs) from Renesas, including the proprietary RX and the RA families based on the Arm® Cortex®-M architecture.
RISC-V is an open ISA which is quickly gaining popularity in the semiconductor industry, due to its flexibility, scalability, power efficiency and open ecosystem. While many MCU providers have recently created joint investment alliances to accelerate their development of RISC-V products, Renesas has already developed a new RISC-V core on its own. This versatile CPU can serve as a main application controller, a complementary secondary core in SoCs, on-chip subsystems, or even in deeply embedded ASSPs. This positions Renesas as a leader in the emerging RISC-V market, following previous introductions of its 32-bit voice-control and motor-control ASSP devices, as well as the RZ/Five 64-bit general purpose microprocessors (MPUs), which were built on CPU cores developed by Andes Technology Corp.
“This new RISC-V CPU core extends our leadership in the RISC-V market and uniquely positions us to deliver more solutions that accommodate a diverse range of requirements,” said Daryl Khoo, Vice President of the IoT Platform Division at Renesas. “
“This achievement exemplifies how RISC-V ecosystem partners, such as Renesas, are rapidly advancing RISC-V innovation,” said Calista Redmond, CEO at RISC-V International. Our RISC-V community now spans 70 countries with more than 4,000 members, and we eagerly anticipate further innovations emerging from this dynamic, expanding market.”
The Renesas RISC-V CPU achieves an impressive 3.27 CoreMark/MHz performance, outperforming similar architectures on the market. It includes extensions to improve performance, while reducing code size.
Renesas is sampling devices based on the new core to select customers, with plans to launch its first RISC-V-based MCU and associated development tools in Q1 2024. Details of the new MCU will be published at that time.
More information about RISC-V products is available at: renesas.com/risc-v.
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