Some of tech’s biggest firms hope to save money with open-source chip designs
The company that masterminded the processor inside your smartphone may find that a set of free-to-use alternative designs erode some of its future success.
Backstory: Chip designer Arm developed the processors used in virtually all the world’s mobile devices. It’s also trying to use its chops—in particular, an ability to create low-power but high-performance processors—to become a leading supplier of silicon designs used in more specialized applications, such as artificial intelligence and autonomous vehicles.
What’s new: The Information ($) reports that many startups and larger tech firms—totaling 80, and including Nvidia, Google, and Tesla—are looking to use a new set of open-source chip designs, known as RISC-V, in future products. The main motivation: RISC-V is free to use, Arm designs are expensive to license, and there’s still scope for using the open-source designs to create chips for many upcoming applications.
Why it matters: It’s unlikely that many firms will ditch using Arm designs to power smartphones and other mobile devices—the technology is so established that switching would be a headache. But as Moore’s Law falters and chips become more specialized, Arm could find that it has competition not just from chipmakers like Intel and AMD, but also from RISC-V.
Deep Dive
Computing

Russia hacked an American satellite company one hour before the Ukraine invasion
The attack on Viasat showcases cyber’s emerging role in modern warfare.

Chinese hackers exploited years-old software flaws to break into telecom giants
A multi-year hacking campaign shows how dangerous old flaws can linger for years.

Transforming the automotive supply chain for the 21st century
Cloud-based tech solutions are helping manufacturers manage a new ecosystem of suppliers with greater agility and resilience.

The hacking industry faces the end of an era
But even if NSO Group is no more, there are plenty of rivals who will rush in to take its place. And the same old problems haven’t gone away.
Stay connected

Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.