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Juan Carlos López
Senior WriterAn engineer by training. A science and tech journalist by passion, vocation, and conviction. I've been writing professionally for over two decades, and I suspect I still have a long way to go. At Xataka, I write about many topics, but I mainly enjoy covering nuclear fusion, quantum physics, quantum computers, microprocessors, and TVs.
Alba Mora
WriterAn established tech journalist, I entered the world of consumer tech by chance in 2018. In my writing and translating career, I've also covered a diverse range of topics, including entertainment, travel, science, and the economy.
The RISC-V architecture is pivotal to China’s technological strategy. It serves as a free hardware alternative to Intel and AMD’s x86-64 designs and the increasingly popular ARM CPUs. For the Asian nation, the RISC-V architecture offers an opportunity to continue its technological development despite sanctions imposed by the U.S.-led alliance. As a result, the Chinese government has established a consortium of companies and research institutes focused on developing chips using this architecture.
Prominent organizations such as Tencent, Alibaba, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences are actively working on the development of RISC-V processors, raising concerns within the U.S. administration. This technology has the potential to be used in the creation of highly advanced supercomputers. In fact, Europe has already completed the European Processor Accelerator, its first RISC-V chip, which is designed for integration into future European supercomputers.
Alibaba’s XuanTie C930 Processor Is China’s Big Opportunity
In late August 2024, Chinese company Unisoc introduced its E450R chip. This RISC-V processor integrates an asymmetric cryptography engine that’s 50% faster than the engine used in Unisoc’s previous security chip. Additionally, the company claims it offers a 50% improvement in transaction-based applications, making it ideally suited for high-demand environments. However, other Chinese companies are also developing RISC-V chips.
Damo Academy, Alibaba’s research-focused subsidiary, has created the XuanTie C930 server processor. Based on RISC-V architecture, this chip is specifically designed for high-performance environments, such as data center servers and autonomous vehicles. Its development marks a significant advancement for China, especially when sanctions from the U.S. and its allies limit access to the most advanced server processors currently available.
Ni Guangnan, an academician from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said at the C930 launch event, “The open-source model will help build an inclusive and collaborative global RISC-V ecosystem, making it the new engine for chip industry disruption.” Meanwhile, an analyst from China’s Guotai Junan Securities pointed out, “Just as DeepSeek has disrupted OpenAI’s monopoly with its open-source, low-cost and high-performance advantages, RISC-V demonstrates significant potential in the AI era.”
These two statements highlight the importance of Alibaba’s new processor for China. The country needs these types of solutions to sustain its technological development amid restrictions imposed by the U.S. and its allies.
Alibaba confirmed that it’ll begin distributing the chip to its customers in March, although it hasn’t specified the number of units available. The company also confirmed that it’ll keep its design open for licensing to other integrated circuit designers interested in it.
Images | Vishnu Mohanan | Chinese Academy of Sciences
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