14 ms·

Huh? China has licenses for both the x86_64 and ARM ISAs. WhT about RISC-V makes it an advantage for Chinese companies?

by mort96 4y ago

Dalewyn 4y ago
RISC-V is free and open as in libre, by contrast to x86 and ARM which must be licensed from Intel/AMD and ARM and are thus subject to potential western economic sanctions. Now, yes, China will just espionage and kangaroo court their way through and around such legalities anyway, but nonetheless RISC-V is less effort for more reward for China if it becomes at least on par with x86 and ARM. Put more basically, it's a matter of national security. China can have an entire RISC-V ecosystem indigenously, unlike x86 and ARM.
- mort96 4y ago
  Can Zhaoxin's x86 license, or the various Chinese companies's ARM licenses, just be revoked?
  - Dalewyn 4y ago
    If the US and/or UK place sanctions on exporting microprocessor technologies to China then that's that. Intel/AMD and ARM are subject to US and UK laws and regulations respectively. RISC-V by contrast is much, much harder for any given country to regulate because of its free and open nature. At most the US and UK can embargo individual developments made within their jurisdictions, but they can't regulate the entire architecture. RISC-V doesn't have a kill switch named Intel/AMD or ARM.
ksec 4y ago
China has licenses for x86-64 “designs” and ARM’s design. Not the ISA. Although “ARM China” is probably enough for them.
- sudosysgen 4y ago
  They have access to VIA's x86 license. They have entered a deal to use it for their domestic designs and have been doing so for 10 years now.
- mort96 4y ago
  Really? No Chinese company has the ARM architecture license? That's honestly a bit surprising if true
  - cameron_b 4y ago
    ARM China is a wildly different animal than ARM. They went rogue a few years back and though SoftBank/ARM did a lot to get things back in line, it still shows up like this: https://www.reuters.com/technology/arm-china-says-its-ousted-ceo-wu-is-refusing-pack-up-2022-05-05/ https://www.reuters.com/technology/arm-china-says-its-ousted...

Huh? China has licenses for both the x86_64 and ARM ISAs. WhT about RISC-V makes it an advantage for Chinese companies?

by mort96 4y ago

Huh? China has licenses for both the x86_64 and ARM ISAs. WhT about RISC-V makes it an advantage for Chinese companies?

RISC-V is free and open as in libre, by contrast to x86 and ARM which must be licensed from Intel/AMD and ARM and are thus subject to potential western economic sanctions. Now, yes, China will just espionage and kangaroo court their way through and around such legalities anyway, but nonetheless RISC-V is less effort for more reward for China if it becomes at least on par with x86 and ARM. Put more basically, it's a matter of national security. China can have an entire RISC-V ecosystem indigenously, unlike x86 and ARM.

mort96 4y ago
Can Zhaoxin's x86 license, or the various Chinese companies's ARM licenses, just be revoked?
- Dalewyn 4y ago
  If the US and/or UK place sanctions on exporting microprocessor technologies to China then that's that. Intel/AMD and ARM are subject to US and UK laws and regulations respectively. RISC-V by contrast is much, much harder for any given country to regulate because of its free and open nature. At most the US and UK can embargo individual developments made within their jurisdictions, but they can't regulate the entire architecture. RISC-V doesn't have a kill switch named Intel/AMD or ARM.

ksec 4y ago

China has licenses for x86-64 “designs” and ARM’s design. Not the ISA. Although “ARM China” is probably enough for them.

sudosysgen 4y ago
They have access to VIA's x86 license. They have entered a deal to use it for their domestic designs and have been doing so for 10 years now.
mort96 4y ago
Really? No Chinese company has the ARM architecture license? That's honestly a bit surprising if true
- cameron_b 4y ago
  ARM China is a wildly different animal than ARM. They went rogue a few years back and though SoftBank/ARM did a lot to get things back in line, it still shows up like this: https://www.reuters.com/technology/arm-china-says-its-ousted-ceo-wu-is-refusing-pack-up-2022-05-05/ https://www.reuters.com/technology/arm-china-says-its-ousted...