The Android Open Source Project (AOSP) has been ported to the RISC-V processor architecture in a key move for the technology.
Upstream enablement of RISC-V has started within AOSP which will help to drive the adoption of chips using RISC-V for the Internet of Things, wearables and eventually smartphones and laptops.
Engineers and software developers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ PLCT Lab began to port Android 10 to the RISC-V architecture in 2020 in an effort to open up the ecosystem. Alibaba’s Cloud division and T-Head chip subsidiary have been close collaborators in the work to keep the development current with newer Android versions.
“We are glad to see more support from Google for building AOSP targeting RISC-V! Alibaba Cloud has been committed to supporting the RISC-V community through a series of innovations, such as progressing the porting of basic Android functions onto RISC-V, which proves the feasibility of using RISC-V based devices in scenarios ranging from multimedia to signal processing, device interconnection, and artificial intelligence. We look forward to engaging with the Android team to contribute to the thriving RISC-V community down the road,” said Dr. David Chen, Director of Ecosystem from Alibaba Cloud and Vice Chair of the Applications & Tools Horizontal Committee at RISC-V International.