Industry Expert Blogs

SiFive RISC-V processors are powering flash drives in production as well as addressing emerging In-Storage Computing (ISC) needs

In the current digital age, where data powers increasing levels of decision making, industrial control and automation, efficient data storage, movement, and processing become the focal point of technological innovations in silicon, system, and software. At SiFive, we have been designing and optimizing RISC-V based domain-specific solutions to address the challenges of data-centric AI computing. Today, I’m thrilled to share some major progress we’ve made with our customers and partners in storage.

Storage is always near and dear to the heart of RISC-V, with our good friend, Western Digital, being a strong believer, adopter, and promoter of the technology as well as playing a leadership role in RISC-V International. SiFive’s real-time processor cores had been adopted by storage leaders and innovators from very early on, and we continue to gain a strong foothold in this evolving market. More than 2 years ago in 2018, we announced that FADU launched industry-leading SSD solutions powered by SiFive RISC-V Core IP. SiFive’s S51 RISC-V core IP enabled FADU Annapurna controller with 64-bit processing capabilities at ultra-low power and greater efficiency, and according to FADU CEO Jihyo Lee, “SiFive’s RISC-V Core IP was 1/3 the power and 1/3 the area of competing solutions, and gave FADU the flexibility we needed in optimizing our architecture to achieve these groundbreaking products.”

Fast forward to Nov 2020, at the annual Flash Memory Summit (FMS), FADU announced its second-generation RISC-V powered DELTA SSD Gen4 Platform for OEM and hyperscale data center storage powered by SiFive’s S51 RISC-V core IP. FADU captured the honor of being awarded Best of Show - Most Innovative Flash Memory Startup. We are thrilled that the deepened collaboration between FADU and SiFive came to fruition, and we congratulate the entire FADU team for their successful product launch as well as the well-deserved recognition.

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