What is RISC-V?
RISC-V, pronounced “risk five,” is a modern open-source instruction set architecture (ISA) based on reduced instruction set computer (RISC) principles. In simple terms, it’s like a blueprint that defines a set of instructions that a processor can execute.
RISC-V is designed to be highly modular, efficient and flexible. Originally developed by the University of California in 2010, the open-source framework gives developers the flexibility to tailor its functionality and use cases, plus offers cost savings compared to proprietary ISAs like ARM or x86. This offers a wide range of uses, from supercomputers to smartphones and now blockchains like Ethereum.
On April 20, 2025, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin unveiled a “radical” new scaling proposal to replace the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) with the RISC-V instruction set architecture, aiming to boost the speed and efficiency of the network’s execution layer. The idea is