RISC-V, an open instruction set architecture for CPUs, is seen by many as likely to become the dominant architecture at a time when more countries are vying to regain sovereignty over semiconductor production.
"The launch of RISC-V servers is a concrete and direct statement by Scaleway to boost an ecosystem where technological sovereignty is open to all, from the lowest level upwards. This is a bold, visionary initiative in an emerging market that opens up new prospects for all players," said Sébastien Luttringer, Scaleway's R&D Director.
Scaleway is now proactively offering a range of RISC-V servers to its clients. This initiative is designed to foster application development and encourage the emergence of European companies in microprocessor manufacturing. The transition to RISC-V, a more energy-efficient technology than existing standards, also opens the door to more sustainable solutions for data centres.
Featuring the T-HEAD TH1520 SoC, 16GB RAM and 128GB storage the Elastic Metal RV1 has been developed to be accessible, whatever the budget.
The RISC-V architecture, although new and still being optimised, is said to be already delivering high performance levels thanks to its design. As such, it’s seen as already representing a credible alternative to established architectures such as x86 and ARM.
"We're delighted to be the first to offer RISC-V servers in the cloud, opening up new opportunities for our customers to meet growing demands for sovereignty, efficiency and sustainability. This innovation is a further step towards our vision of an independent and competitive European cloud", said Damien Lucas, CEO at Scaleway.
EM-RV1 servers have been developed in Scaleway's Paris laboratories.
