The rise of the semiconductor open source architecture RISC-V, the active participation of Chinese enterprises| yue reading the world

Reading Global(2022.03.16)

The rise of THE semiconductor open source architecture RISC-V, with the active participation of Chinese companies

Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported on the 16th that in the field of semiconductor development for the Internet of Things (IoT), the open source standard "RISC-V" that can be used by anyone is rising. The standard was first continuously applied in areas such as wearables and smart home appliances, and there are predictions that the adoption rate will reach 28% by 2025, the proportion of industrial equipment will reach 12%, and the proportion of cars will reach 10%. RISC-V is emerging as a major contender for British ARM looking to dabble in the Internet of Things using smartphones as a starting point.

RISC-V is one of the Instruction Set Architectures (ISAs) that prescribe the basic specifications for semiconductors, developed by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley since 2010. Since it is an open source architecture, anyone can use it for free to design. There are also companies that sell intellectual property (IP) of circuits based on RISC-V architectures, such as SiFive in the United States set up by researchers at the University of California and others.

In China, which is actively introducing RISC-V, wearable device manufacturers such as Huami Technology and e-cigarette semiconductor manufacturers have been using this architecture. Alibaba Group has developed AI chips for the Internet of Things based on RISC-V and made its IP public, facilitating the introduction of global enterprises. Beijing GigaDevice is developing RISC-V microcontrollers and is also promoting products in the Japanese market.

In terms of U.S. companies, semiconductor giant Western Digital is very active in introducing RISC-V, proposing the policy of replacing the control semiconductor of the storage device with a RISC-V product.

Large IT companies around the world are also actively adopting RISC-V. In October 2021, Google launched a new smartphone "Pixel 6" series, using RISC-V to develop semiconductors for this series to protect data. Apple in the United States has begun recruiting "RISC-V programmers" on its recruitment website.

In addition to Western Digital and Google, it also includes Qualcomm of the United States, Samsung Electronics of South Korea, Huawei Technologies of China, Siemens of Germany, etc., and is currently carrying out technology development and standard development.

Google Launches B2B Cloud Gaming Platform "Immersive Game Streaming"

Forbes reported on the 16th that at the Google For Games Developer Summit, Google released a lot of news about the consumer-facing part of its cloud game products - Stadia. But google, on the other hand, is also developing its white label platform: a way for other companies to license Stadia's game streaming technology.

Previously, the B2B service was called Google Stream, and now it's called Immersive Stream for Games. The Stadia team created it with the help of Google Cloud. The company said the service will allow other companies to run their own game tests on the platform, allowing users to play full games, offer subscription packages or have a full interface. In other words, game publishers may be able to run their own versions of Stadia, with their own libraries, branding, and custom user interfaces.

Last year, Google partnered with AT&T to give people a way to play Batman: Arkham Knight for free via the cloud. Now, AT&T plans to give users another game with the help of "immersive game streaming." While this version of Batman: Arkham Knight will only run on desktops and laptops, the next game will also run on mobile devices.

The immersive game stream will include other features that Google revealed to Stadia today, including a free trial of the full game, and a project designed to make the game more portable to run on Stadia technology. Game developers and publishers can ask Google for more details.

A february report showed that Google was moving resources from Stadia to B2B cloud gaming services. Both Bungie and Capcom are interested in using Google's technology to support their own cloud gaming services, According to Insider.

Apple supplier Foxconn believes that supply chain woes could hit revenue

Reuters reported on the 16th that Apple supplier Foxconn predicted that its revenue will fall by 3% this year, which may be the first time in six years that its annual sales have declined, because the chip shortage has squeezed the production of smartphones, and it has now cooled down after the surge in demand during the new crown pneumonia epidemic.

The shutdown of Foxconn and other companies, including Japan's Toyota Motor, has exacerbated concerns that global supply chains could be affected by the pandemic.

On the 16th, Foxconn Chairman Liu Yangwei said that the company can only have a better understanding of the uncertainty of the supply chain in the second half of the year.

"The pandemic has not eased, inflation has remained high, and global politics has become increasingly tense – all of which have further complicated supply and demand, leading to great uncertainty about our outlook," Liu said, adding that 2022 will be a "very challenging year."

Still, he said he was "cautiously optimistic" about the company's sales outlook for 2022, citing continued growth in industries such as 5G smartphones and cloud products.

He has previously warned that chip shortages are expected to continue into the second half of 2022.

Foxconn, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industries Co., Ltd., said it expects revenue to fall between 3 percent and a 3 percent increase in the first quarter and this year. Analysts expect revenue to grow 1.2 percent this year.

In recent months, Foxconn has announced plans to become a major player in the global electric vehicle (EV) market. On the 16th, the company said that it does not expect the revenue of electric vehicles to be very impressive until 2023.

Foxconn has struck electric vehicle deals with several companies, including Lordstown Motors Corp, which forecasts annual production of up to 750,000 units by 2025.

In the fourth quarter ending December, Foxconn's revenue fell 6 percent, the first decline in five quarters. Revenue from its major consumer goods and electronics businesses fell 3 percent to 15 percent during that period. Smartphones account for 60% of the business. Revenue from its cloud and networking products, as well as computing products, was flat. Parts revenue increased by more than 15%. Between October and December, net profit fell 3.4 percent to approximately NT$44.4 billion.

Buckingham Palace in the United Kingdom will host a special exhibition on Japanese themes for the first time

Kyodo News Agency reported on the 16th that the management group of the British royal collection recently released news that Buckingham Palace, located in central London, will hold a special exhibition with Japan for the first time from April 8, which will last until March 12, 2023. The special exhibition was originally scheduled to be held in 2020, but it was postponed due to the impact of the NEW Crown Pneumonia Epidemic.

The special exhibition will feature about 150 exhibits, including the Japanese-British exchange pioneers who sent trade ships to Japan in the 17th century, the armor of King James I of England, and the screen given to Queen Victoria by japan in the 19th century.

A trading ship containing personal letters and gifts from James I to the Edo shogunate, Tokugawa Ieyasu, arrived in 1613 in the city of Hirado in present-day Nagasaki Prefecture, kicking off direct exchanges between Japan and Britain. In return for the handwritten letter, the Japanese entrusted the armor to the captain John Sarris.

Researchers from the management group said that "many of the exhibits are debuting after landing in the UK" and are looking forward to people coming to visit.

Today's picture

The opening of Social Bite in London helps eliminate street sleepovers

On March 15, 2022, local time, in London, England, the staff of the Social Bite Café worked. Scottish coffee chain Social Bite has given itself the mission of eliminating street overhang, so the store employs homeless people and encourages customers to buy food and drink for the homeless.

(This article is compiled from Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Forbes, Reuters, Kyodo News Agency)

Economic Observation Network intern reporter Zhou Yuqing sorted out