risc-v News - Page 5 of 46 - CNX Software

January 2, 2024January 2, 2024 by Tomisin Olujinmi - 2 Comments

Tillitis Tkey is an open-source RISC-V security key in a USB-C case

Tillitis’ TKey is a small, simple security key in a USB-C form factor, and described as a “new type of flexible USB security token” that is inspired by DICE (Device Identifier Composition Engine) and measured boot powered by a simple 32-bit RISC-V core, the PicoRV32, in a Lattice iCE40 UP5K FPGA. While we have covered hardware security modules in the past, this is the first security key we have seen that is based on an FPGA running a RISC-V core. The security token lacks persistent, onboard storage, unlike alternatives such as Yubikey Neo. Apps need to be loaded onto the key every time it is connected to a host device. It uses measured boot to generate a unique identifier for each application and is more secure than the alternatives since private keys are not stored on the device. Also, the hardware and software for the TKey are completely open-source for […]

December 31, 2023December 31, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 18 Comments

2023 Year in review – Top 10 posts, statistics, and what to expect in 2024

It’s the last day and last article of the year, so we will look at some highlights of 2023, some traffic statistics on the CNX Software website, and speculate what interesting developments may happen in 2024. Looking back at 2023 The semiconductor shortage that had happened since 2020 started to fade away in early 2023, and supplies for most electronics components and devices seem to be adequate at this time, so that was a bright spot this year, and hopefully, it will stay that way in 2024 despite geopolitical tensions. We did not have any super exciting new Arm application processors from Rockchip, Amlogic, or Allwinner announced this year, although the Amlogic S928X penta-core Cortex-A76/A55 CPU started to show up in some 8K TV boxes. The launch of the Raspberry Pi 5 SBC with a Broadcom BCM2712 quad-core Cortex-A76 processor was probably the main highlight for Arm on this side […]

December 22, 2023December 22, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

SONOFF iPlug S60 – A $10.9 compact WiFi smart socket with built-in energy monitoring function

SONOFF iPlug S60 is a compact ESP32-C3-based WiFi smart socket with built-in energy monitoring support and available with either Type E/F or Type G prongs for respectively European and British markets, as well as other countries using those types of sockets. ITEAD has manufactured home automation devices that measure power consumption for years, such as the SONOFF POW switch directly connected to the mains or the SONOFF S31 smart socket, but those are/were much larger devices, and the new SONOFF iPlus S60 is fairly small and barely larger than some other smart sockets that lack an energy monitoring function, whiling handling up to 16A or 4,000W at 220-250V. SONOFF iPlug specifications: Wireless MCU – ESP32-C3 RISC-V microcontroller with 2.4GHz WiFi 4 802.11b/g/n S60TPG Plug type – Type G (UK) Input – 250V, 50/60Hz, 13A max Max load – 3,250 Watts Dimensions – 58 x 58 x 42 mm Weight – […]

December 14, 2023December 14, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 21 Comments

Lichee Console 4A RISC-V mini laptop sells for $252 and up

Sipeed Lichee Console 4A is a RISC-V portable Linux console, that I would also call a RISC-V mini laptop, powered by an Alibaba T-Head TH1520 quad-core C910 processor and equipped with up to 16GB RAM and 128GB eMMC flash. We first covered the device last August, but Sipeed had started taking pre-ordered by the end of October, and they’ve gone through the first batch of mass production, and should soon ship the mini laptops with the Aliexpress store showing December 31 as the release date, and we’re told some samples may have already been shipped in the first part of the month. Lichee Console 4A specifications: SoM – Replaceable Lichee LM4A system-on-module based on TH1520 quad-core RISC-V C910 processor with up to 16GB LPDDR4X, 128GB eMMC flash Storage – MicroSD card slot, M.2 SSD support Display – 7-inch 1280 x 800 LCD with capacitive touch Video Output – 1x mini […]

December 7, 2023 by Debashis Das - 8 Comments

Renesas’ first 32-bit RISC-V CPU core delivers up to 3.27 CoreMark/MHz

Renesas has recently announced its first homegrown 32-bit RISC-V CPU core based on open-standard instruction set architecture (ISA).

Renesas has recently announced its first homegrown 32-bit RISC-V CPU core based on the open-standard instruction set architecture (ISA). This CPU core is compatible with Renesas’ e2 studio IDE and supports other third-party IDEs for RISC-V MCUs. According to Renesas, the CPU achieved a remarkable 3.27 CoreMark/MHz performance outperforming similar RISC-V architectures in this category. RISC-V, an open ISA, is rapidly gaining popularity in the semiconductor industry. Many MCU providers have formed joint investment alliances to expedite their RISC-V product development. Previously, Renesas released two CPUs developed by Andes Technology Corp: the R9A02G020, an ASSP EASY MCU for Motor Control, and the R9A06G150, an ASSP EASY MCU for Voice HMI, both based on RISC-V. Additionally, they have introduced the RZ/Five, a Linux-capable 64-bit RISC-V microprocessor family, and RH850/U2B, an automotive System on Chip (SoC). However, with the release of their new CPU, Renesas independently enters the RISC-V market, highlighting their […]

December 4, 2023December 4, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments

Orange Pi AIPro SBC features a 20 TOPS Huawei Ascend AI SoC

Orange Pi AIPro is a new single board computer for AI applications that features a new (and unnamed) Huawei Ascend AI quad-core 64-bit processor delivering up to 20 TOPS (INT8) or 8 TOPS (FP16) of AI inference performance. The SBC comes with up to 16GB LPDDR4X and a 512Mbit SPI flash but also supports other storage options such as a microSD card, an eMMC flash module, and/or an M.2 NVMe or SATA SSD. The board also features two HDMI 2.0 ports, one MIPI DSI connector, and an AV port for video output, two MIPI CSI camera interfaces, Gigabit Ethernet and WiFi 5 connectivity, a few USB ports, and a 40-pin GPIO header for expansion. Orange Pi AIPro specifications: SoC – Huawei Ascend quad-core 64-bit (I’d assume RISC-V) processor delivering up to 20 TOPS (INT8) or 8TOPS (FP16) AI performance and equipped with an unnamed 3D GPU System Memory – 8GB […]

November 19, 2023November 20, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 16 Comments

International Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2023 deals and coupon codes

We’ve been writing about international Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals and coupon codes since 2014, as US-centric promotions such as Amazon’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals are not always available to the international audience of CNX Software. So once again, we’ve searched at Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2023 international promotions and discount codes from specific manufacturers as well as popular online stores such as Aliexpress, Banggood, and others. Aliexpress Black Friday and Cyber Monday event Aliexpress will have a Black Friday (and Cyber Monday) event in 2023, but we have limited details at this time since it will only start on November 23, contrary to some of the other deals we’ll feature below which are already up and running. But the event will have two periods: Nov 20-22 PT – Warm Up event where users can find and add items to the cart before purchasing during the […]

November 10, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

Gigadevice GD32VW553 RISC-V microcontroller supports WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 LE

Gigadevice GD32VW553 is a new 160MHz RISC-V microcontroller for IoT applications with support for WiFi 6 (802.11ax) and Bluetooth 5.2 Low Energy (LE) and available in QFN32 and QFN40 packages with up to 28 GPIOs. As an IoT chip, the chip supports various power modes and target wake time (TWT) for low power consumption, as well as WiFi features such as WPA3 and WiFi direct, while the radio can handle Bluetooth 5.2 LE bit rates of up to 2 Mbps and support the Long Range mode. Gigadevice GD32VW553 specifications: MCU core – 32-bit Nuclei N307 RISC-V core @ up to 160 MHz with RV32I / M / A / F / D / C / P / B instruction extensions Memory – 320KB SRAM Storage – 2048KB or 4096KB flash Wireless WiFI 6 802.11b/g/n/ax HT20 up to 114.7Mbps 802.11e QoS Enhancement (WMM). 802.11i (WPA, WPA2, WPA3). Open, shared key, and […]