Developers, makers, or just curious people looking for a development platform capable of running Linux might be interested in the new platform released by HiFive. The new platform is currently available through crowdfunding website Crowd Supply. The 64-bit customizable system-on-chip (SoC) platform is open source. It is the world's first RISC-V-based development platform capable of running Linux and is now available for $999. It is expected to launch in June 2018.
Features of the HiFive development board include a SoFive Freedom U540 SoC supported by 8GB DDR4 with ECC, a Gigabit Ethernet port, 32MB quad SPI flash from ISSI, a microSD card for additional storage, and an FMC slot for future expansion. The platform measures just 120mm x 90mm, but if you include the power button protruding from the front of the board, another 9mm will be added, creating a final size of 129mm x 90mm. The basis of the HiFive Unleashed platform is the Freedom U540 SoC:
– The world's fastest RISC-V processor
– 1 x E51 RV64IMAC Core Management
– 2 MB L2 Cache Coherence
– 64-bit DDR4 with ECC
– 1 Gigabit Ethernet
– TSMC 28 nm process
– The world's only RISC-V SoC with Linux
– 4 + 1 multi-core Coherent Configuration, up to 1.5 GHz
– 4x U54 RV64GC application cores with Sv39 virtual memory support
For more information and full specifications for the HiFive Unleashed platform, head over to the Crowd Supply.
