RISC-V in 2025: Progress, Challenges,and What's Next for Automotive & OpenHardware

By Tomi Rantakari CEO (ChipFlow) & Luca Testa COO (Keysom)

The State of RISC-V: A Conversation Worth Having

RISC-V has been a hot topic in the semiconductor industry for several years now, and for good reason. As an open standard ISA alternative to traditional processor architectures like ARM and x86, it carries a huge weight of expectation, but also significant hurdles to widespread adoption. It’s clear that RISC-V is making progress, but the road ahead isn’t smooth.

The Software Ecosystem: RISC-V’s Achilles’ Heel

One of the biggest barriers to widespread adoption of RISC-V is the software ecosystem, or to be blunt, the lack of a true software ecosystem. RISC-V is still playing catch up with the likes of Arm and x86 when it comes to software availability and development. We feel there are a number of key areas where the software ecosystem needs to be improved for RISC-V to fulfil its potential.

• Compilers & Optimization: Many compilers still don’t prioritize RISC-V, leading to less efficient code.
• Limited Application Support: Major software vendors have yet to fully embrace RISC-V.
• No Big Cloud Presence: Despite some interest from major tech companies, RISC-V hasn’t yet made a dent in cloud computing or large-scale data centers in the same way that Arm and X86 has.

Currently RISC-V is more likely to be found in the hobbyist space, or very deeply embedded in larger SOCs.

Why RISC-V Companies Are Struggling

Numerous companies have tried to successfully commercialize RISC-V, but often they seem to fall foul of the same issues.

• Vendor Lock-in Still Exists: Many companies want an alternative to traditionally expensive licensing models. But many RISC-V providers have effectively copied this model for themselves.
• Not Enough Revenue: Many RISC-V companies are still running on investor money rather than sustainable profits, despite several years in the marketplace.
• Market Hesitation: While there was initial excitement, RISC-V is missing a show stopper. For RISC-V to truly take advantage of its opportunity, it will need a big market player to get fully behind it.
• Monopolies in the industry, particularly in IP and EDA, potentially slow both innovation adoption of new technologies Dominant players control key tools and resources, creating barriers limiting competition and make open alternatives like RISC-V to gain traction. RISC-V offers flexibility and customization, but the lack of access to essential design tools and IP cores still impacts its growth. A more open and competitive environment would further accelerate innovation and enable broader adoption of RISC-V

The Bigger Picture: RISC-V in Open-Source Hardware

Despite the roadblocks, RISC-V remains one of the strongest examples of successful open-source hardware, if not the most successful? It has undoubtedly set a standard for high-quality, verified open-source IP.

• The Hardware World is Proprietary: Unlike software, where open-source models have thrived, hardware companies are still highly protective of their designs and intellectual property. Open hardware also requires a much greater level of contribution from multiple sources than open software.
• Lack of Transparency: Semiconductor companies don’t openly share design data, making collaboration and innovation harder than in the world of open source software.
• Fragmented Community: While RISC-V has gained traction, other open hardware projects haven’t found the same level of industry backing.

That said, RISC-V proves that open-source hardware can meet commercial standards—it just needs more industry-wide support to reach its full potential.

The Automotive Industry: A Tough Market to Crack

In automotive, the demand for specialized, efficient, and reliable processors has never been so high. The market still relies heavily on well established, proprietary standards, with a limited ecosystem of robust design tools and support.

When it comes to automotive applications, semiconductor vendors still aren’t fully addressing the needs of the market. Here’s why:

• Strict Quality Standards: Automotive-grade chips need to meet rigorous safety and reliability requirements (e.g. ISO 26262), which not all RISC-V solutions can currently offer.
• Incomplete Ecosystem: Beyond just processors, the automotive market requires full-stack solutions—including software, security, and long-term support.
• Slow Adoption Curve: Automakers are risk-averse when it comes to adopting new technologies, which makes switching to RISC-V a slow process.

In the automotive industry, RISC-V offers unique advantages to tailor processors and meet specific performances and safety standards. For RISC-V to make a bigger impact in automotive, it needs to prove it can meet these demands with the same reliability as traditional solutions. This opens up possibilities for efficient, cost-effective, and secure solutions for next-generation vehicles, which increasingly rely on advanced computing for automation, connectivity, and electrification.

Where Do We Go from Here?

The key takeaways from our discussion were clear:

• RISC-V needs better positioning: It’s not a magic bullet, but it plays an important role in open-source IP and embedded applications.
• Ecosystem gaps must be filled: Without strong software and industry collaboration, RISC-V adoption will continue to face challenges.
• Strategic partnerships are necessary: Working with industry leaders and policymakers—such as European Union initiatives—could help accelerate development.

Final Thoughts

RISC-V is evolving, but it’s not a de facto solution despite a desire from many companies. However, the biggest success of RISC-V is that it’s proven that open-source hardware can work! It has also found its market in smaller 32-bit cores and accelerators, particularly in
fragmented sectors like IoT and industrial applications, where customization and cost-efficiency are keys.

But gaps in the software ecosystem, business models, and industry adoption still need to be addressed.

Ultimately, RISC-V has the potential to reshape industries by offering more open, customizable alternatives to legacy architectures. But, it will take continued collaboration, innovation, strategic investments, and overcoming technical and industry-specific barriers for RISC-V to truly reach its potential in the automotive sector.

The next few years should focus on accelerating the development of RISC-V’s hardware IP and software ecosystem and fostering stronger cross-industry collaboration.

We’ll be watching closely to see how RISC-V and open-source hardware continue to shape the semiconductor industry.