Is RISC-V better than ARM?

Not universally. RISC-V's advantage is that it is free and fully customisable, which matters enormously for cost at scale and for custom silicon. ARM still has the more mature software ecosystem and, in many cases, higher peak performance today. For a phone, ARM. For a custom embedded chip where you want to avoid royalties, RISC-V.

Will RISC-V replace ARM and x86?

Unlikely to replace them outright any time soon. The more realistic future is three architectures coexisting, each strong in different segments, with RISC-V steadily taking share at the edges and in AI rather than wiping the others out.

Why can't I buy an x86 chip licence like ARM?

Because x86 is a closed, proprietary architecture controlled by Intel and AMD. There is no licensing programme for outsiders. ARM, by contrast, exists to license its architecture, and RISC-V is free for anyone to use.

What's the easiest way to try RISC-V at home?

A single-board computer like the StarFive VisionFive 2. It runs mainline Linux, costs about the same as a mid-range Raspberry Pi, and gives you a real RISC-V machine to tinker with rather than an emulator.

Gadgets

The next big indie game publisher is taking some exciting swings

12 August 2026 · By Future Technology

What we know

The next big indie game publisher is taking some notable swings It looks like Apple’s iPhone 18 really will skip the fall launch this year Google’s Pixel 11 phone preorders come with up to $350 in gift cards Twitch streamers can now opt out from training Amazon’s AI How Google’s new Pixel 11 phones compare to last year’s models ICE wants to give agents electrified gloves that shock people into compliance Amazon gets out of the MMO game How the Pixel 11 Pro Fold compares to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Guitar company D’Addario admits that AI music was used in a promotional video Google aims for influencers with the Pixel 11 Creator Suite

Why it matters

New hardware announcements from The Verge tend to set the benchmark for the rest of the year. If you've been waiting to upgrade, this is worth watching.

Sources

The Verge
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