Revolutionizing Smartwatches: Qualcomm Unveils a Game-Changing RISC-V Chip

Most smartphones, smartwatches, and even some laptops currently utilize the ARM architecture. However, there is a new emerging player known as RISC-V. The completely-open design of RISC-V offers several advantages, leading chip makers to consider it as an alternative to ARM chipsets. In a recent announcement, Qualcomm expressed their commitment to RISC-V by partnering with Google to develop a new RISC-V chip for upcoming Wear OS smartwatches. While details about the chip are still scarce, it will be a part of Qualcomm's Snapdragon Wear lineup. This announcement can be seen as a promise for the future release of a RISC-V chip rather than being a specific announcement about the chip itself. Considering the ongoing work on this chip and the optimization of Wear OS and Android for RISC-V, it is understandable that the exact details are not yet confirmed. Nevertheless, it is encouraging to witness such dedication to this technology.

Qualcomm's smartwatch chips, as well as its current lineup of SoCs, are all based on ARM. The Pixel Watch 2 from Google is powered by the Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 chip, which is also ARM-based. Although this is expected to remain unchanged in the near future, Qualcomm is set to release its first commercial RISC-V chip. This would mark a significant milestone, as it would be the first RISC-V offering from a major chip manufacturer. While there are already RISC-V options available, such as the Star64 from Pine64, which utilizes a RISC-V SoC made by Chinese chipmaker StarFive, Qualcomm's chip is likely to have broader usage and pave the way for more powerful RISC-V chips, potentially even for smartphones. We will have to wait for Qualcomm's official announcement, but the future of RISC-V appears highly promising.

Source: Qualcomm