First laptop powered by RISC-V laptop expected soon 💻

Image credit — IEEE Spectrum

The agency tasked with delivering the instruction set architecture (ISA) to the mainstream has released an image of what might be the first-ever laptop powered by a RISC-V CPU.

Philipp Tomsich, the head of RISC-V International’s software committee, gave a presentation in Paris earlier this month that included this image.

“The question is whether the first RISC-V laptop will be announced this year,” he remarked. “On the right, there’s a mystery laptop, and I’ll just leave you with the question: might there be a RISC-V in this one already?”

RISC-V is a free, open-source instruction set architecture (ISA) based on the same architectural concepts as Arm’s proprietary cores, which charge royalties each time they’re used in a SoC.

RISC-V-based CPUs are currently significantly less prevalent than Arm or x86-based processors, although the movement appears to be gaining traction.

China, for example, is investing extensively in RISC-V to reduce its dependency on western semiconductor corporations. Even Intel is exploring the field, likely after concluding that x86 cannot compete in the long run for power efficiency.

The recent success of Arm-based processors such as Apple’s M-series chips demonstrates that RISC architectures have a future in the PC and workstation industry, which RISC-V International has not overlooked.

The company has been transparent about its plans to release the world’s first RISC-V-based laptop by the end of the year. There have been few details to work with up until now, but the recent tease will offer the community something to look forward to.

It’s anyone’s guess whether the laptop shown in the presentation is the actual deal, but the nature of the hint suggests RISC-V International is confident in its estimated schedule.