If you’re exploring alternatives to the Raspberry Pi, RISC-V single-board computers (SBCs) have become increasingly compelling. These open-source hardware platforms offer flexibility and performance that can rival traditional ARM-based boards. Whether you’re into AI development, edge computing, or just tinkering with new architectures, here are five RISC-V SBCs that stand out in 2025.
The VisionFive 2 by StarFive is a significant step forward in RISC-V SBCs, offering a blend of performance and affordability. It features a quad-core 64-bit RISC-V SoC (JH7110) running at up to 1.5GHz, complemented by an IMG BXE-4-32 MC1 GPU that supports OpenCL 3.0, OpenGL ES 3.2, and Vulkan 1.2. Memory options include 4GB or 8GB LPDDR4, and storage is facilitated through a microSD card slot, eMMC socket, and a full-sized M.2 NVMe slot.
Connectivity is robust, featuring two USB 3.0 Type-A ports and two USB-A 2.0 ports, an HDMI 2.0 output supporting 4K@30fps, dual Gigabit Ethernet ports, and a 40-pin GPIO header for expansion. The board also includes a 40-pin GPIO header, MIPI CSI, and DSI interfaces for camera and display integration. Software support has matured, with compatibility for Debian and Ubuntu distributions and ongoing community efforts to enhance driver support and performance.