# Cooperation and Competition Behind the Scenes in the RISC-V Community

- Show: [Moore's Lobby](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby)
- Published: 2024-04-23
- Length: 51m
- Episode: 8
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2024-04-23-cooperation-and-competition-behind-the-scenes-in-the-risc-v-community
- Listen: https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/podcast/risc-v-technology-development-cooperation-and-competition

## Summary

Mark Himelstein, CTO of RISC-V International, explains how the open standard instruction set architecture (ISA) fosters a community of cooperation and competition among chip designers, from startups to multinationals like Qualcomm and NVIDIA. He details the organization's structure, which includes 70 technical groups working on specifications like vector extensions and upcoming matrix operations for AI, while navigating supply chain challenges and the transition from proprietary ISAs. Himelstein highlights that the shared software ecosystem—compilers, OS, and tools—is the primary glue keeping the community together, as no single entity can afford to build a new ISA alone. The episode covers the rapid ratification of specifications, the importance of development boards, and the strategic focus on Android support and AI/ML acceleration.

## Chapters

- [0:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2024-04-23-cooperation-and-competition-behind-the-scenes-in-the-risc-v-community#t=43) Introduction: Mark Himelstein and RISC-V International
- [2:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2024-04-23-cooperation-and-competition-behind-the-scenes-in-the-risc-v-community#t=166) RISC-V as an Open Standard vs. Open Source
- [6:22](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2024-04-23-cooperation-and-competition-behind-the-scenes-in-the-risc-v-community#t=382) Modular Evolution and Vector/Matrix Operations
- [11:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2024-04-23-cooperation-and-competition-behind-the-scenes-in-the-risc-v-community#t=675) Organization Structure and Governance
- [16:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2024-04-23-cooperation-and-competition-behind-the-scenes-in-the-risc-v-community#t=989) Scaling the Organization and Specification Process
- [26:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2024-04-23-cooperation-and-competition-behind-the-scenes-in-the-risc-v-community#t=1590) Key Milestones: 16 Specs, Supply Chain, and Boards
- [33:11](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2024-04-23-cooperation-and-competition-behind-the-scenes-in-the-risc-v-community#t=1991) Cooperation vs. Competition in the Community
- [35:17](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2024-04-23-cooperation-and-competition-behind-the-scenes-in-the-risc-v-community#t=2117) Vector, Crypto, and Matrix Capabilities for AI
- [39:39](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2024-04-23-cooperation-and-competition-behind-the-scenes-in-the-risc-v-community#t=2379) Future Goals: Android, AI/ML, and Security
- [42:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2024-04-23-cooperation-and-competition-behind-the-scenes-in-the-risc-v-community#t=2520) Himelstein's Career: MIPS, Sun, and Graphite Systems

## Topics

- [Chips, FPGAs & semiconductors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/chips-and-fpgas)
- [Intellectual property](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/intellectual-property)
- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)

## Most relevant to

large enterprises

## Mentioned

- RISC-V International (company)
- Qualcomm (company)
- NVIDIA (company)
- Esperanto (company)
- Inspire Semi (company)
- Pine64 (company)
- MIPS (company)
- Sun Microsystems (company)
- Berkeley (other)
- Android (product)
- GCC (tool)
- LLVM (tool)
- Cheri (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Episode 21: A Discussion on RISC-V with Calista Redmond CEO of RISC-V International](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit/2023-06-05-episode-21-a-discussion-on-risc-v-with-calista-redmond-ceo-of-risc-v-internation) (The Circuit)
- [RISC-V Reaches Adolescence](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2021-12-17-risc-v-reaches-adolescence) (EE Times Current)
- [Launch of RISC-V Special Project | MIPS vs. RISC-V | RISC-V Impact on ARM](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2019-02-18-launch-of-risc-v-special-project-mips-vs-risc-v-risc-v-impact-on-arm) (EE Times Current)
- [Risking RISC-V | Engineers & the Gig Economy | Chiplets](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2019-06-14-risking-risc-v-engineers-the-gig-economy-chiplets) (EE Times Current)
- [EP 125: What's Going on with RISC-V? Update on Intel, Everything is AI!](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit/2025-07-14-ep-125-whats-going-on-with-risc-v-update-on-intel-everything-is-ai) (The Circuit)

## Citing this page

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