San Francisco-based fabless semiconductor company SiFive has launched its second high-performance processor P650 claiming to be the fastest licensable RISC-V processor IP core in the market. Within 6 months of the initial launch of the P550, the manufacturer realized the need for some significant upgrades in terms of the performance directly linking to the clock speed frequency.

RISC-V members ratified the Vector, Scalar Cryptography, and Hypervisor specifications, which will help unlock new opportunities for developers creating RISC-V applications for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), the Internet of Things (IoT), connected and autonomous cars, data centers, and beyond.

STEM fields have long struggled with a lack of diversity. A recent report from Lindström Group highlighted the problem in a microcosm, revealing that just 12% of engineers and 16% of engineering students in the United Kingdom are women.

There’s no moss gathering on the RISC-V stone. The group continues to make progress in just about all facets of its roadmap.

RISC-V International and CHIPS Alliance announced a collaboration to update the OmniXtend Cache Coherency specification and protocol, along with building out developer tools for OmniXtend.

RISC-V International announced its Fast Track Architecture Extension Process (Fast Track) that streamlines the ratification of small architecture extensions.

In this edition of the embedded insiders, Brandon and Rich ponder whether RISC-V is taking too long to become a mainstream technology, or if it will even ever be one.