Open-source RISC-V development boards
Explore the powerful ecosystem around the open RISC-V instruction set architecture
What is RISC-V?
RISC-V is an open-source reduced instruction set computer (RISC) architecture. It was started at UC Berkeley in 2010 to create a free, open instruction set architecture for academia and industry.
RISC-V advantages
- Open and free: the ISA is free to use forever, with no licensing fees
- Modular design: multiple extensions adapt flexibly to different applications
- Broad adoption: used by more than 1,000 companies worldwide
- Rich ecosystem: mature toolchains and software support
- Innovation-driven: an active open-source community keeps pushing it forward
RISC-V application scenarios
Embedded
IoT, sensors, low-power devices
Servers
Data centers, cloud computing, high-performance computing
Consumer electronics
Smartphones, tablets, wearables
Popular RISC-V development boards
ESP32-C3-DevKitM
RISC-V architecture with low cost and low power consumption, ideal for entry-level IoT projects
Orange Pi R2S
An eight-core RISC-V Ky X1 AI platform with 2 TOPS, dual Gigabit and dual 2.5GbE ports for routers, edge gateways and network labs.
Orange Pi RV2
An eight-core RISC-V Ky X1 AI platform with 2 TOPS, dual Gigabit Ethernet and dual M.2 NVMe for RISC-V edge computing, NAS and network applications.
Orange Pi RV
A quad-core StarFive JH7110 RISC-V board with 2-8 GB LPDDR4, Gigabit Ethernet and M.2 NVMe for RISC-V Linux development, teaching and light servers.
RISC-V specifications
| Board | Chip model | CPU clock speed | Flash | RAM | GPIO | Price Range | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ESP32-C3-DevKitM | ESP32-C3 | 160MHz | 4MB | 384KB | 19 | ¥50-100 | IoT |
| HiFive Unmatched | Freedom U740 | 1.5GHz | 32MB | 8GB | 40 | ¥500-800 | |
| SiFive HiFive 1 Rev B | FE310-G002 | 320MHz | 16MB | 16KB | 32 | ¥50-100 | Learning |
| SiFive HiFive 2 | FE310-G003 | 320MHz | 32MB | 16KB | 48 | ¥80-150 | IoT |
| StarFive VisionFive 2 | JH7110 | 1.5GHz | 32MB | 8GB | 40 | ¥200-400 | AI / edge computing |
| Sipeed Maixduino | K210 | 400MHz | 8MB | 6MB | 48 | ¥50-100 | AI / edge computingIoT |
| Bouffalo Lab BL602 | BL602 | 133MHz | 4MB | 256KB | 22 | ¥20-50 | IoT |
| ESP32-C6 | ESP32-C6 | 160MHz | 4MB | 384KB | 30 | ¥30-60 | |
| CH32V307 | CH32V307 | 144MHz | 256KB | 64KB | 80 | ¥20-50 | Industrial control |
| GD32VF103VBT6 | GD32VF103 | 108MHz | 128KB | 32KB | 80 | ¥20-50 | |
| Orange Pi R2S | Ky X1 | Not listed | eMMC 8GB | 2/4/8GB | Not listed | Check official channels | AI / edge computing |
| Orange Pi RV2 | Ky X1 | Not listed | eMMC + NVMe | 2/4/8GB | 26 | Check official channels | AI / edge computing |
| Orange Pi RV | StarFive JH7110 | 1.5GHz | M.2 NVMe + TF | 2/4/8GB | 40 | Check official channels | |
| XIAO ESP32-C3 | ESP32-C3 | 160MHz | 4MB | 400KB | 11 | Check official channels | |
| XIAO ESP32-C6 | ESP32-C6 | 160MHz | 4MB | 512KB | 11 | Check official channels |
The RISC-V ecosystem
Development tools
- GCC/RISC-V Toolchain
- LLVM/Clang
- Freedom E SDK
- OpenOCD
- PlatformIO
Operating systems
- Linux
- Zephyr RTOS
- FreeRTOS
- RT-Thread
- OpenWrt
Programming languages
- C/C++
- Rust
- Python/MicroPython
- Go
- JavaScript
Community
Official organizations
Community forums
Where to buy
Buying advice
- Prefer official channels to ensure genuine products and after-sales support
- Watch for promotions on major e-commerce platforms for better prices
- Confirm the board revision and accessory list before buying
- Check community reviews and feedback to choose the board that best fits your needs