What SiFive does

SiFive, Inc. is a privately held semiconductor intellectual property company founded in 2015 by the inventors of the RISC-V instruction set architecture at UC Berkeley, headquartered in San Mateo, California. The company designs and licenses customizable RISC-V processor core IP organized into four families: Essential (32-bit and 64-bit embedded controllers for IoT, storage, and consumer), Intelligence (vector and matrix compute IP such as the XM Series AI matrix engine for AI/ML workloads), Performance (high-throughput out-of-order cores such as the P870-D scalable to 256 cores for data center), and Automotive (ISO 26262 ASIL B/D certified cores for ADAS, IVI, and zonal controllers). SiFive also sells HiFive development boards and software tools including the Freedom SDK, Core Designer, and Freedom Studio.

SiFive's business model mirrors ARM's chip IP licensing approach: customers (semiconductor companies, OEMs, and hyperscalers) pay upfront license fees and per-chip royalties, supported by an enterprise field sales motion augmented by ecosystem partners and industry events. Named customer relationships span hyperscale AI (Google TPU X280, Meta MTIA, NVIDIA NVLink Fusion integration, a tier-1 hyperscaler profiling P870-D), consumer electronics (Qualcomm following the Ventana Micro acquisition, Samsung, Synaptics, a tier-1 smartwatch SoC), storage (Fadu SSD controllers), aerospace (Microchip for NASA's next-generation space computing), and automotive via the Quintauris consortium (Bosch, BMW, Infineon, NXP, Qualcomm). The software stack is anchored by collaborations with Red Hat (RHEL 10), Canonical (Ubuntu LTS), Google (Android Tier 1), and NVIDIA (CUDA port and NVLink Fusion).

The company has raised approximately $970 million in total outside funding across rounds from seed through a $400 million Series G closed in April 2026 at a $3.65 billion post-money valuation led by Atreides Management with NVIDIA, Apollo, T. Rowe Price, D1 Capital, Point72 Turion, Capital Group, Prosperity7, and Sutter Hill participating. Cumulative metrics cited include over 100 customers, 500+ designs featuring SiFive IP, and more than 10 billion cores shipped. CEO Patrick Little has stated the Series G is intended as the final private round before an anticipated IPO. SiFive operates from San Mateo (corporate HQ), Cambridge UK (R&D), and Shanghai (sales, opened January 2025), and holds ISO 26262, ISO/SAE 21434:2021, and SOC 2 Type II certifications.

Name

SiFive

Legal name

SiFive, Inc.

Website

https://sifive.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

SiFive licenses customizable RISC-V processor core intellectual property — covering embedded, AI, data center, and automotive applications — to semiconductor companies, OEMs, and hyperscalers under an ARM-style upfront license plus per-chip royalty model, and sells HiFive development boards and supporting software tools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

RISC-V Processor IP

NAICS

Semiconductor and Related Device Manufacturing (334413), Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing (3344)

SIC

Semiconductors & Related Devices (3674), Electronic Components, Nec (3679)

akta.pro primary industry

Hardware/Chip Design IP Cores (Processor, Interface, Analog, Security) (HDAHAFAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Compute & Acceleration ICs (CPU/GPU/AI/FPGA/ASIC) (HDAHABAC), Automotive & Safety-Certified Processors (ADAS/Domain/ASIL MCUs) (HDAHAJAJ), IP Enablement, Characterization & Porting Services (HDAHAFAI), Silicon IP Subsystems & Chiplet IP (Die-to-Die, UCIe, NoC, I/O chiplets) (HDAHAFAH)

Keywords

• RISC-V processor IP
• CPU core licensing
• Embedded semiconductor IP
• AI accelerator cores
• Automotive processor IP

Headquarters

HQ city

San Mateo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Processor IP Licensing: Licenses RISC-V CPU core IP designs to semiconductor companies. Customers pay licensing fees and ongoing royalties per chip shipped. Model mirrors ARM's chip licensing approach.
2. Development Boards and Tools: Sells HiFive development boards (HiFive Premier P550, HiFive Unmatched) and software tools including Freedom Studio, Core Designer, and Freedom Tools.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SiFive designs and licenses customizable RISC-V processor IP cores—spanning 32-bit microcontrollers to 256-core out-of-order CPUs—organized into four families (Essential, Intelligence, Performance, Automotive). The company sells this IP under a royalty-based licensing model similar to Arm, complemented by HiFive development boards, Core Designer configuration software, and Freedom Studio/SDK developer tools for semiconductor and OEM customers.

Product overview

SiFive offers a comprehensive portfolio of RISC-V processor intellectual property (IP) organized into four core families: Essential (embedded microcontrollers from 32-bit to 64-bit), Intelligence (AI/ML-capable vector and matrix processors), Performance (high-throughput application processors for datacenter and consumer), and Automotive (safety-certified processors for automotive applications). The company provides associated development boards (HiFive series), software development tools (Freedom Studio, SDKs, Kernel Library, Trace & Debug), and security/quality solutions. SiFive's business model mirrors ARM's chip licensing approach, allowing semiconductor companies to license customizable RISC-V processor designs for integration into system-on-chip solutions across IoT, edge AI, consumer, datacenter, automotive, aerospace, and storage applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HiFive: RISC-V development boards including HiFive Premier P550, HiFive Unmatched, and HiFive1 product lines
• SiFive Essential
• SiFive Intelligence
• SiFive Performance
• SiFive Automotive

Products and services

• SiFive Essential Family Silicon-proven 32-bit to 64-bit embedded CPU cores including U Series (rich OS), S Series (64-bit real-time), and E Series (32-bit configurable) for microcontrollers, IoT, and edge applications.
• SiFive Intelligence Family
• SiFive Performance Family
• SiFive Automotive Family
• SiFive Performance P870-D
• SiFive Intelligence XM Series
• HiFive Premier P550 Development Board
• HiFive Unmatched Rev B Development Board
• SiFive Core Designer
• SiFive Freedom Studio
• SiFive Security and Quality Solutions

Quantifiable outcome

• P570 Gen 3 delivers up to 21x higher performance on specific AI workloads compared to first generation
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

AI capability6 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• HighTec EDV-SystemecoreTechnology or Integration · 7 May 2026Collaboration to enhance RISC-V ecosystem for automotive and industrial applications. Combines HighTec's safety-qualified toolchains with SiFive's safety-focused RISC-V processor IP for efficient development and certification.
• NVIDIA (NVLink Fusion)coreTechnology or Integration · 15 January 2026Strategic partnership to integrate NVIDIA NVLink Fusion interconnect technology into SiFive RISC-V processor platforms. Enables RISC-V CPUs to connect to NVIDIA GPUs with 3.6 TB/s bidirectional bandwidth and access CUDA-X software stack. Initial designs expected in 2027.
• IAR SystemscoreTechnology or Integration · 17 December 2025Expanded collaboration to support SiFive RISC-V processor IP in automotive applications with unified toolchain compatible with safety-critical standards. Includes ISO 26262 compliance for development of safety-critical vehicle systems.
• QuintauriscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 December 2025Strategic partnership to integrate SiFive processor IP into Quintauris reference architectures for automotive zonal and ADAS ECUs. Quintauris is backed by Bosch, BMW, Infineon, NXP, and Qualcomm. Aims to standardize high-performance RISC-V IP across next-generation automotive platforms.
• Upbeat TechnologycoreTechnology or Integration · 15 October 2025Partnership to develop next-generation ultra-low power RISC-V microcontroller (UP201/UP301) with integrated AI acceleration. Targets IoT devices, wearables, drones, and robotics.
• Red HatcoreTechnology or Integration · 21 May 2025Collaboration to support Red Hat Enterprise Linux for RISC-V. Red Hat ported RHEL 10 to SiFive platforms including HiFive Premier P550.
• Canonical (Ubuntu)coreTechnology or IntegrationCanonical partnered to launch HiFive Premier P550 with native RISC-V Ubuntu 24.04 LTS available out of the box. Ubuntu 26.04 LTS adds full RVA23 support.
• FaducoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for multiple generations of RISC-V-based SSD controllers achieving throughput greater than 3.5 GBPS and IOPS exceeding 800k.
• MicrochipcoreTechnology or IntegrationCollaboration on X288 Processor enabling 100x performance upgrade to legacy space platform. Part of NASA's next-generation space computing project.
• CanonicalcoreTechnology or IntegrationUbuntu Linux support for RISC-V platforms including HiFive Premier P550 development board.
• GooglecoreTechnology or IntegrationGoogle uses SiFive X280 cores in Tensor Processing Units since 2022. Collaboration on Android for RISC-V.
• IAR SystemscoreTechnology or IntegrationCertified development tools for RISC-V based automotive ECUs with ISO 26262 functional safety and ISO/SAE 21434 cybersecurity standards.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Arm: Arm is the dominant CPU IP licensor and SiFive's primary competitor in processor IP licensing. Both sell core designs to chipmakers under similar licensing-plus-royalty models, with Arm owning the incumbent x86 alternative that SiFive's RISC-V portfolio directly challenges across mobile, embedded, and increasingly data center.
• Synopsys: Synopsys is the largest EDA vendor and a major IP licensor (including ARC processors and interface IP). It supplies design tools SiFive itself uses, and competes at the high end of the IP market where automotive and data center customers demand certified, vertically integrated tool-plus-IP flows.
• Cadence: Cadence is a leading EDA vendor and IP licensor (including Tensilica DSP and processor IP). It partners with SiFive on automotive reference flows but also competes in processor IP for AI/edge applications, particularly where tightly integrated toolchains matter to customers.

Direct peers

• Imagination Technologies: Imagination licenses processor and GPU IP cores to semiconductor and SoC companies, with similar business mechanics to SiFive. While traditionally focused on GPU IP, its CPU and AI accelerator roadmaps compete for the same AI/edge customer design wins.
• Andes Technology: Andes Technology is a leading RISC-V CPU IP vendor headquartered in Taiwan. It competes head-to-head with SiFive's Essential and Performance families across IoT, edge AI, and increasingly automotive — often at lower price points in Asia-centric design wins.
• VeriSilicon: VeriSilicon is a China-based semiconductor IP and design services company offering RISC-V and other processor IP, plus ASIC/SoC design services. It overlaps with SiFive's IP licensing business and is particularly relevant in the China market where SiFive recently expanded.
• Ventana Micro Systems (acquired by Qualcomm): Ventana Micro was a direct RISC-V CPU IP peer to SiFive targeting data center applications prior to its December 2025 acquisition by Qualcomm. Now under Qualcomm, it represents a vertically integrated competitor with significantly greater resources and an existing mobile/data center customer base.

Emerging players

• Rivos: Rivos is an emerging RISC-V startup building high-performance server CPUs with backing from notable investors. It targets the same data center workloads as SiFive's P870-D, representing a well-funded RISC-V-native competitor in the most strategically important segment.
• Tenstorrent: Tenstorrent develops RISC-V-based AI accelerators and CPUs under Jim Keller. While primarily a chip vendor rather than IP licensor, it competes for the same AI infrastructure narrative and customer mindshare that SiFive is leveraging in its Series G story.
• CEVA, Inc. CEVA licenses DSP and AI processor IP to chipmakers and is expanding into RISC-V-based offerings. It overlaps with SiFive's Intelligence family for edge AI/ML workloads and competes for similar IoT, sensor, and connectivity design wins.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SiFive
• GitHubgithub.com/sifive
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SiFive
• Facebookfacebook.com/SiFive
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sifive
• Instagraminstagram.com/sifive_inc

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors20 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SiFive