The CEO of “Risk-Five International” Group has raised concerns about potential government restrictions on open-source technology, citing that such limitations could hinder the development of new and improved chips, thereby impeding the global technology industry, according to a report published by Reuters.
These remarks come after Reuters reported last week that an increasing number of U.S. lawmakers are urging the Biden administration to impose restrictions on the export of “Risk-Five” technology. “Risk-Five” is an open-source, free and open instruction set architecture (ISA) based on the RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) principles. Unlike most other ISA standards, “Risk-Five” can be freely used for any purpose, granting complete freedom in designing, manufacturing, and selling “Risk-Five” chips and programming.
What is Risk-Five?
“Risk-Five” is not the first open instruction set architecture, but its significance lies in its versatility, designed to be used across a wide range of devices. The project began in 2010 at the University of California, Berkeley, with many contributors being volunteers and industry professionals outside of the university.
The word “Risk” is an acronym for “Reduced Instruction Set Computer,” with the Latin numeral V representing 5 in the Roman numeral system.
Major American companies such as Qualcomm and Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., have adopted “Risk-Five” technology. Chinese companies like Huawei Technologies have also embraced it, which has raised security concerns among U.S. lawmakers about potential threats to American national systems.
Differences between “Risk” Technology and Others
Calista Redmond, President of “Risk-Five,” who coordinates the collaborative work among companies regarding the technology, stated that “Risk-Five” technology is no different from other open standards like “Ethernet,” which enables computers to communicate over the internet.
Redmond emphasized, “The unprecedented government actions intended to impose restrictions on open standards will have a hefty price, hindering access to global markets for products, solutions, and talent.”
She mentioned that “Risk-Five” has attracted a broad range of interest from North America, Europe, and Asia. She clarified that the standards published by the foundation do not constitute a complete chip design and do not provide any more information about chip manufacturing than what is available from tech companies that own technology rights, such as “ARM.”
She added, “The only difference between open-source technology and others is that chip manufacturers in the market are allowed to use these standards without the need for proprietary licensing from a technology rights-holding company.”
Furthermore, she highlighted that “access to open standards allows companies to innovate faster and spend their time creating different products, rather than attempting to reinvent the wheel.”
In conclusion, the potential restrictions on open-source technology, such as “Risk-Five,” raise concerns about slowing down innovation and impeding the global technology industry’s progress. It’s a critical issue with far-reaching consequences for the technology landscape.
