Raspberry Pi Pico 2: A Step Towards RISC-V Integration?
The Raspberry Pi Pico has become a beloved microcontroller board for hobbyists, educators, and industry professionals since its debut. Known for its low cost, flexibility, and ease of use, the original Pico featured the RP2040 microcontroller, built around a dual-core Arm Cortex-M0+ processor. However, speculation and industry trends hint at the possibility of a new iteration — possibly a Raspberry Pi Pico 2 — that could pivot toward using a RISC-V architecture. Here, we’ll explore what a RISC-V-based Raspberry Pi Pico might mean for the microcontroller landscape.
What is RISC-V?
RISC-V (pronounced “risk-five”) is an open-standard instruction set architecture (ISA) that is gaining traction in the world of computing. Unlike proprietary ISAs such as those from Arm, RISC-V is open-source, allowing companies and developers to use and modify it without licensing fees. This openness promotes greater customization, innovation, and reduced costs, making it attractive for microcontroller and processor development.
Why Consider RISC-V for the Pico?
- Cost Efficiency and Customization
A…
