Mouser Explores the Open-Source Future with RISC-V Technology Resource Center

November 11, 2024 – Mouser Electronics, Inc., the industry’s leading New Product Introduction (NPI) distributor with the widest selection of semiconductors and electronic components™, introduces its comprehensive RISC-V resource center, empowering design engineers with knowledge on the latest technology and applications. As the open-source architecture gains popularity, RISC-V stands out as a new way to develop the cutting-edge hardware and software of the future. From smartphones and IoT devices to high-performance computing, RISC-V is growing across a wide range of industries into a more dominant instruction set architecture (ISA).

Compared to other ISAs, RISC-V’s simpler build makes processors more efficient, easier to design, and ideal for developing innovative solutions. The ISA offers high-data throughput, essential for various applications, and can be customized to meet specific requirements through sets of standard extensions (e.g., enabling floating point or vector operations or support for Hypervisor) that can be applied based on the application at hand. This versatility and flexibility make RISC-V easier to work with when using FPGAs.

Through a stream of articles, blogs, eBooks, and products from Mouser’s technical team and trusted manufacturing partners, engineers are equipped with the knowledge required to design innovative RISC-V applications. The content hub explores how RISC-V is transforming the world around us, including pushing machine learning (ML) closer to the edge. As a more energy-efficient architecture, it is easier to implement ML applications in a wider range of devices, including autonomous vehicles, healthcare devices, and more.

Mouser stocks the industry’s widest selection of semiconductors and electronic components, including the following products and solutions for RISC-V applications:

The FPB-R9A02G021 RISC-V MCU Fast Prototyping Board by Renesas Electronics is designed for evaluation, prototyping, and development with the R9A02G021 MCUs. This board incorporates a SEGGER J-Link™ emulator circuit that enables the user to design applications seamlessly, eliminating the need for additional investments in tools. Typical applications include consumer electronics, industrial sensors, medical sensors, and more.
The Pico 2 from Raspberry Pi delivers a significant performance boost while retaining compatibility with earlier Raspberry Pi Pico series devices. The Pico 2 offers a higher core clock speed, double the memory, more powerful Arm® cores, optional RISC‑V cores, heightened security features, and upgraded interfacing capabilities. Programmable in C / C++ and Python, Raspberry Pi Pico 2 is the ideal microcontroller board for enthusiasts and professional developers alike.
The BeagleV®-Fire single board computer (SBC) from BeagleBoard is powered by Microchip’s PolarFire® MPFS025T FCVG484E 5x core RISC-V System on Chip with FPGA fabric. Built around a powerful, energy-efficient RISC-V ISA, this SBC offers a computer architecture and open-source hardware development for the masses by providing opportunities to explore and experiment with RISC-V technology.
The XIAO ESP32C6 Microcontroller (MCU) by Seeed Studio is a cost-effective device based on Espressif’s ESP32-C6. This compact MCU excels in Matter-compliant smart home applications with support for various wireless connectivity (2.4GHz Wi-Fi 6, BLE 5.0, Zigbee®, and Thread). Designed with a thumb-size footprint and a single-sided mount of the XIAO Series, the MCU is best suited for space-limited projects.