The ISA Landscape
Instruction Set Architecture or ISA, is the machine language of a computer, in which all its programs are expressed in. Two proprietary ISAs dominate the world today: x86 in the datacenter world and ARM in the mobile and embedded markets. As India aspires to build a self-sufficient semiconductor ecosystem from the ground up, these ISAs have two serious limitations:
- Building new hardware conforming to them requires paying licensing fees/royalties to the multinational companies that own them.
- It is not possible to add new custom instructions to the ISAs for differentiation purposes, since they are the intellectual property of their owners.
RISC-V: India's National ISA
RISC-V, the national ISA of India, is an open, free and customizable ISA, without the above limitations. In an era of geopolitical shifts, it is governed by a neutral non-profit organization and allows for free ISA customizations without any license requirements. It thereby enables open hardware development, in the same spirit as the open-source software movement. As a result, several academic and commercial organizations around the world have built a plethora of hardware designs on RISC-V. The ISA has gained a lot of traction in microcontrollers today. As higher performance designs are being developed by several startups now, it is only a matter of time before RISC-V gains significant market share in all computer classes, from wearables to servers.
Three Concurrent Opportunities for India
Indigenous Hardware Development
Development of RISC-V based indigenous hardware ingredients, both as design IPs as well as fabricated chips.
System Development
Development of RISC-V based systems using commercially available hardware ingredients, both from within the nation and around the world.
Software Ecosystem
Development of a strong software ecosystem for RISC-V to accelerate the creation and the adoption of the above two.
ITEL's Strategic Focus
While there is significant focus in India on the first two opportunities, hardware without software is akin to a body without mind. Hence, ITEL is interested in leveraging the large software developer and student communities in India to advance the software ecosystem for RISC-V. India must participate in ongoing global efforts in this direction as well as carve its own unique path by prioritizing software that can catalyze its hardware indigenization efforts (e.g., software for feature phones, efficient UPI, Android application compatibility, etc.)
Software and hardware are interdependent on each other and this "chicken and the egg" conundrum for RISC-V can be solved only with simultaneous development of both. Furthermore, building a software ecosystem requires the participation of a large number of developers.