What StarFive Technology does

StarFive Technology (上海赛昉半导体科技有限公司) is a Shanghai-based RISC-V semiconductor company founded in 2018 that designs and sells a full-stack RISC-V product portfolio spanning CPU and interconnect IP, application processors, microcontrollers, data center chips, and development platforms. Its proprietary technology includes the Dubhe series of RISC-V CPU IP cores (with the Dubhe-90 supporting the RVA23 Profile, RVV1.0, and Vector Crypto extensions) and the StarNoC series of NoC IP, including China's first Mesh-architecture coherent interconnect IP. StarFive's flagship products include the JH-7110 — positioned as the world's first mass-produced high-performance 64-bit RISC-V application processor — and the JH-B100 (Lion Rock Chip), positioned as the world's first RISC-V architecture BMC chip for data center management. The portfolio also includes the CF3310 security MCU and CF5010 industrial MCU, the VisionFive 2 and VisionFive 2 Lite single-board computers, AI development kits with Hailo-8L acceleration, and end solutions including the EGW2000 edge gateway and TEG5904 industrial firewall.

StarFive operates a multi-channel go-to-market with three revenue streams: semiconductor IP licensing (Dubhe CPU IP and StarNoC to chip designers), SoC and MCU chip sales (direct enterprise sales plus distributor channels), and development platforms and SBCs (sold direct and through partners like Waveshare and Taobao). The company targets five primary verticals: industrial control and smart manufacturing, smart home and IoT security, education and developer community, data center and edge computing, and consumer electronics. Notable enterprise engagements include co-development with Mingqijia producing over 3.85 million cumulative 'Ganghua Chip' IoT security units deployed in smart kitchen devices, deployment with Hong Kong and China Gas for smart meters, and partnerships with Intel China and Inspur HyperCloud supporting JH-B100 commercialization for AI servers and edge computing. The company maintains the RVspace developer community and ships comprehensive open-source software (Debian distributions, GitHub SDKs, Linux kernel, U-Boot, OpenSBI) as a core adoption lever. Strategic capital has come from Baidu (March 2023) and Hong Kong Investment Corporation (February 2025), with StarFive serving as the founding presiding unit of the Hong Kong RISC-V Alliance (March 2026) and its CEO appointed to the HK Chief Executive's Advisory Group.

Name

StarFive Technology

Legal name

上海赛昉半导体科技有限公司

Website

https://starfivetech.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

StarFive Technology is a Shanghai-based RISC-V semiconductor company founded in 2018 that designs and sells CPU IP cores, NoC IP, application processors (JH-7110), data center BMC chips (JH-B100), MCUs, and single-board computers for industrial, IoT, data center, and developer customers in China and Hong Kong.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

RISC-V Semiconductor IP and SoC Design

NAICS

Semiconductor and Related Device Manufacturing (334413), Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing (33411)

SIC

Semiconductors & Related Devices (3674)

akta.pro primary industry

Application Processors & Microprocessors (MPUs/CPUs) (HDAHAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hardware/Chip Design IP Cores (Processor, Interface, Analog, Security) (HDAHAFAF), Silicon IP Subsystems & Chiplet IP (Die-to-Die, UCIe, NoC, I/O chiplets) (HDAHAFAH), Networking & Data Center Silicon (Switch/NIC/DPU/SerDes) (HDAHABAB)

Keywords

• RISC-V semiconductor IP
• System-on-chip design
• Embedded microcontrollers
• Data center BMC chips
• Single board computers

Headquarters

HQ city

Shanghai

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Semiconductor IP Licensing: StarFive licenses its proprietary RISC-V CPU IP (Dubhe series) and NoC IP (StarNoC series) to semiconductor companies and SoC designers who integrate these IP cores into their own chip products. Revenue is generated through licensing fees, royalties, and technical support contracts.
2. SoC and MCU Chip Sales: Sale of proprietary RISC-V-based chips including JH-7110 application processors, CF3310/CF5010 microcontrollers, and JH-B100 BMC chips. Chips are sold directly to device manufacturers and through distributor channels.
3. Development Platforms and SBCs: Sale of development boards (VisionFive 2, VisionFive 2 Lite, JH-7110 DevKit), single-board computers, SoM modules, and accompanying software (SDKs, Debian images). Targeted at developers, educational institutions, and embedded system integrators.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

StarFive Technology designs and sells RISC-V-based semiconductor IP cores (Dubhe CPU IP, StarNoC interconnect IP) and System-on-Chip products (JH-7110 application processor, JH-B100 BMC chip for data centers, CF3310/CF5010 microcontrollers). It complements these chips with single-board computers (VisionFive 2, VisionFive 2 Lite), AI and OpenPLC development kits, and end solutions (industrial firewalls, edge gateways, 4G DTU, smart gas meters), supported by an open-source Debian/Linux/RT-Linux software stack and the RVspace developer community.

Product overview

StarFive Technology (上海赛昉半导体科技有限公司) is a RISC-V semiconductor company offering a comprehensive product portfolio spanning CPU IP cores, SoC chips, development platforms, and complete solutions. The portfolio includes: Dubhe series CPU IP (Dubhe-70/80/83/90) and StarNoC interconnect IP for chip design; JH-7110 high-performance application processor and JH-B100 data center BMC chip as flagship SoCs; CF3310/CF5010 microcontrollers for IoT and industrial control; VisionFive 2/2 Lite single board computers, DevKit, and various development platforms for developer enablement; AI development kits, edge computing gateways (EGW2000), industrial firewalls (TEG5904), DTU modules, and energy routers as end solutions; plus educational products like embedded Linux experiment boxes and OpenPLC kits. The company provides complete software stack including Debian distributions, SDKs, and open-source code on GitLab, targeting applications in data centers, edge computing, IoT, industrial control, AI, and smart energy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dubhe (昉·天枢): RISC-V CPU IP product line including Dubhe-70, Dubhe-80, Dubhe-83, and Dubhe-90
• StarNoC (昉·星路)
• JH Series SoC
• VisionFive (昉·星光)
• 港华芯

Products and services

• Dubhe-20 CPU IP (昉·天枢-20) Self-developed RISC-V CPU IP core in StarFive's Dubhe series, licensed to semiconductor companies and SoC designers for integration into their own chip products.
• Dubhe-70 CPU IP (昉·天枢-70) High-performance, energy-efficient 64-bit out-of-order commercial RISC-V CPU IP core supporting the RVA23 Profile and RVV1.0 vector crypto extensions, licensed to chip designers for integration into their own SoCs.
• Dubhe-80 CPU IP (昉·天枢-80) RISC-V CPU IP core in the Dubhe series licensed to SoC designers for custom chip development.
• Dubhe-83 CPU IP (昉·天枢-83) RISC-V CPU IP core following the RVA23 Profile and supporting RVV1.0 and all Vector Crypto extensions, licensed to chip designers for AI and high-performance workloads.
• Dubhe-90 CPU IP (昉·天枢-90) High-performance RISC-V CPU IP core with a Linux-standard SDK (U-Boot, Linux kernel, OpenSBI, Yocto eSDK with QEMU emulator and GCC toolchain), licensed to SoC designers for AI and server workloads.
• StarNoC-500 NoC IP (昉·星路-500) NoC (Network-on-Chip) IP in StarFive's StarNoC family, licensed to chip designers for multi-core SoC integration.
• StarNoC-700 NoC IP (昉·星路-700) China's first Mesh-architecture coherent interconnect bus IP for multi-core SoC designs, licensed to chip designers integrating multiple CPU cores.
• Multi-Core CPU Subsystem IP (多核子系统) Pre-integrated multi-core CPU subsystem combining Dubhe RISC-V CPU IP cores with StarNoC coherent interconnect, licensed to SoC designers for faster chip integration.
• Many-Core CPU Subsystem IP (众核子系统) Pre-integrated many-core CPU subsystem for advanced multi-core SoC designs, licensed to chip developers targeting high-core-count applications.
• JH-7110 SoC (昉·惊鸿-7110) World's first mass-produced high-performance RISC-V application processor with a 64-bit quad-core CPU up to 1.5GHz, integrated IMG BXE-4-32 GPU, H.264/H.265/JPEG codec, dual PCIe 2.0 and gigabit Ethernet, and industrial temperature range support, sold to OEMs and module manufacturers for edge computing, AIoT, and smart home devices.
• JH-B100 BMC SoC (昉·惊鸿-B100 / Lion Rock Chip) World's first RISC-V architecture BMC (Baseboard Management Controller) SoC for data center server management, sold to data center operators, AI server builders, and edge computing infrastructure providers for AI servers, edge computing, and smart energy applications.
• CF3310 Security MCU 32-bit RISC-V high-performance, low-power security microcontroller with hardware-fixed international and Chinese national-secret cryptographic algorithms, side-channel and physical reverse-engineering protection, nA-level standby current, and multiple communication interfaces (SPI, I2C, UART, ISO7816, SWI), used in IoT security, smart gas meters, gas alarms, anti-counterfeiting, and digital rights applications.
• CF5010 Industrial MCU 32-bit RISC-V industrial microcontroller with up to 160MHz+ clock, 2.55 Coremark/MHz score, bxCAN/SPI/I2C/UART interfaces, 12-bit 2Msps SAR ADC, CORDIC math acceleration, and CRC unit, used in IoT, smart home, appliances, industrial equipment, and new energy applications.
• VisionFive 2 SBC (昉·星光 2) World's first mass-produced high-performance RISC-V single-board computer with JH-7110 SoC (64-bit quad-core CPU up to 1.5GHz), IMG BXE-4-32 MC1 GPU supporting OpenCL 3.0 / OpenGL ES 3.2 / Vulkan 1.2, rich I/O (M.2, eMMC, USB 3.0, GbE, GPIO), MIPI-CSI/DSI, and H.264/H.265/JPEG codecs, sold to developers, makers, and education customers.
• VisionFive 2 Lite SBC (昉·星光 2 Lite) Low-cost, feature-rich RISC-V single-board computer based on the JH-7110S quad-core processor up to 1.25GHz with 4GB or 8GB LPDDR4, M.2/eMMC/USB 3.0/40-pin GPIO/GbE, built-in ISP, and video processing, sold for education, AIoT, smart home, and industrial IoT.
• JH-7110 Development Kit Development kit based on the JH-7110 application processor up to 1.5GHz with IMG BXE-4-32 GPU, 4GB DDR4, M.2/eMMC/USB 3.0/GPIO/GbE/TF slot, MIPI-CSI/DSI, and reference design files for customer design-in and testing.
• AI Development Kit (JH-7110 + Hailo-8L) Open-source AI development kit featuring the JH-7110 processor with a 13 TOPS Hailo-8L M.2 AI acceleration module, supporting YOLOv5, YOLOv8, and MobileNet_SSD deep-learning models for real-time object detection, pose recognition, image segmentation, and face recognition at the edge.
• Edge Computing Gateway EGW2000 Industrial-grade edge computing gateway with 4-core 64-bit RISC-V processor at 1.5GHz, 2GB LPDDR4, 8GB eMMC plus NVMe SSD, 2x RS232/RS485, 2x GbE, 2x USB, WiFi, BT5.1, 4G/5G, and HDMI2.0, running Ubuntu 22.04 with Docker and C/C++/Go/Python support, used for IIoT in smart grid, pipeline, transportation, and water management.
• Industrial Firewall TEG5904 Industry's first RISC-V-architecture industrial firewall for city gas SCADA network security, operating from -40°C to +85°C with 5-90% humidity tolerance, RS485/232/GbE/WiFi interfaces, and a self-developed secure OS built on fully domestic components.
• 4G DTU LTE-CF9511E0 4G IoT wireless communication device (DTU) that transparently transmits serial or other interface device data to remote servers over 4G, integrating a secure chip for enhanced data security and reliability in smart factories, power grids, cities, transportation, and remote healthcare.
• OpenPLC Development Kit RISC-V OpenPLC development kit based on the JH-7110 with RT-Linux real-time patches for microsecond-level response, integrating the OpenPLC open-source framework for IEC61131-3 PLC languages (LD, ST, SFC, FBD, IL) and EtherCAT master, used in industrial automation, IoT, and SCADA system education and prototyping.
• Embedded Linux Comprehensive Experiment Box Comprehensive RISC-V teaching experiment platform based on the VisionFive 2 with display, motors, gyroscope, RGB LEDs, and other peripherals, supporting LED display, motor control, multimedia, and human-computer interaction scenarios for EE/CS education, graduation projects, and competitions.
• Ganghua Chip Smart Gas Meter (港华芯) RISC-V smart gas meter solution equipped with the CF3310 security MCU that meets national secret level 2 cryptographic requirements, provides hardware-fixed international and Chinese algorithms, and protects against physical and non-physical side-channel attacks, deployed with Hong Kong and China Gas and other utilities.
• Gas Alarm (燃气报警器) Gas alarm device with CF5010 microcontroller and self-developed SE security chip, integrating a methane sensor, high-decibel alarm, tri-color status display, remote communication, and valve control, with OpenHarmony 5.1.0 compatibility and multi-dimensional sensing (including smoke sensor) to reduce false alarms.
• Debian Linux for VisionFive 2 / JH-7110 Debian-based Linux distribution and software development kit for VisionFive 2 and JH-7110-based platforms, with multiple SDK versions and source code open-sourced on GitHub to drive ecosystem adoption.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3.85 million '港华芯' IoT security chips shipped by end 2024, deployed in smart kitchen and home safety devices
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hong Kong RISC-V Alliance (HKRVA) — Founding MemberscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 March 2026StarFive serves as the inaugural 会长单位 (presiding unit) of the Hong Kong RISC-V Alliance, co-founded with Hong Kong 中华煤气, China Mobile Hong Kong, 超聚变技术国际, and 开源国际科创. The alliance aims to build Hong Kong as a global RISC-V exchange and cooperation hub.
• Inspur HyperCloudcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 November 2025Inspur HyperCloud is a key strategic partner supporting the large-scale commercialization of StarFive's Lion Rock Chip (JH-B100) data center management chip. The partnership targets AI servers, edge computing, and smart energy applications.
• Intel ChinacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 November 2025Intel China partnered with StarFive to support JH-B100 BMC chip commercialization, including showcasing StarFive's BMC full-chain solution at Intel's ecosystem conference to accelerate RISC-V data center management chip adoption.
• Mingqijia (名气家)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024StarFive co-developed the '港华芯' RISC-V IoT security chip with Mingqijia, achieving over 3.85 million cumulative shipments by end 2024. The chip is deployed in smart kitchen devices and serves Hong Kong's smart city initiative.
• China Mobile Hong KongcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership to expand '港华芯' IoT security chip services to Hong Kong's million households as part of Hong Kong smart city development.
• Waveshare Electronics (睿炜电子)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWaveshare.net distributes StarFive's VisionFive 2 Lite single-board computer through its online store, serving as a key channel partner in China.
• RVspace CommunitycoreOthersStarFive supports the RVspace developer community as a core pillar of RISC-V ecosystem development, providing comprehensive technical documentation, application guides, and code resources across IoT, industrial, vision, and AI domains.
• Third-party SBC and Module Manufacturers (Pine64, Milk-V, OrangePi, Tequ, etc.)minorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerThird-party manufacturers including Pine64 (PineTab-V, Star64), Milk-V (Mars CM, Mars SBC), OrangePi (OrangePi RV), Tequ (TQ-7110, FET7110-C), and others embed StarFive JH-7110 SoCs in their development boards and computing modules.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Ventana Micro Systems: Ventana Micro Systems is a US-based RISC-V chip startup developing high-performance application processors for data center and cloud workloads (e.g., Veyron V2). It competes with StarFive in the emerging RISC-V data center CPU market segment, though focused on higher-end server CPUs versus StarFive's BMC focus.
• ESWIN Computing: ESWIN is a Chinese RISC-V chip designer developing CPU IP and SoCs for IoT, AI, and edge computing applications. It is a domestic RISC-V competitor to StarFive with backing from BOE and Beijing municipal government, focused on similar embedded and edge AI use cases.
• Tenstorrent: Tenstorrent is a Canadian AI chip company (led by Jim Keller) developing RISC-V-based AI accelerators and high-performance CPUs. It overlaps with StarFive's edge AI capabilities (JH-7110 + Hailo-8L development kit) and represents a competing RISC-V architecture play in the AI compute market.
• SpacemiT: SpacemiT is a Chinese RISC-V chip startup developing high-performance application processors (Bianbu series) and AI accelerators. It competes with StarFive's JH-7110 in the Chinese RISC-V SoC market for edge computing, AIoT, and tablet/laptop applications.

Direct peers

• Andes Technology: Andes Technology is a Taiwan-based publicly-traded RISC-V IP core and SoC platform provider, comparable to StarFive's Dubhe CPU IP and integrated SoC offerings. It serves similar embedded, IoT, and AIoT customers and is a direct competitor for RISC-V design wins in Asian markets.
• Alibaba T-Head Semiconductor: T-Head is the semiconductor arm of Alibaba, developing RISC-V IP cores (XuanTie series) and SoCs in China. It directly competes with StarFive in the Chinese RISC-V IP licensing and application processor markets, with state-aligned backing and significant internal demand from Alibaba Cloud.
• SiFive: SiFive is the leading US-based RISC-V IP and chiplet company, founded by the creators of the RISC-V ISA. It is the most direct competitor to StarFive across CPU IP licensing (similar to Dubhe series), high-performance application processors, and AI/data center RISC-V designs. Both companies pursue IP-plus-chip business models targeting similar enterprise customers.
• Aspeed Technology: Aspeed is the Taiwan-based dominant supplier of BMC (Baseboard Management Controller) chips for server and data center management, holding over 70% market share. It is the primary incumbent competitor for StarFive's JH-B100 RISC-V BMC chip and represents the entrenched standard StarFive must displace.

Broad incumbents

• Allwinner Technology: Allwinner is a major Chinese fabless ARM-based SoC designer with broad application processor and MCU product lines targeting IoT, smart home, and tablet markets. While not RISC-V, it competes with StarFive's JH-7110 and CF-series MCUs in overlapping Chinese embedded applications, representing the incumbent ARM alternative.
• Rockchip (Fuzhou Rockchip Electronics): Rockchip is a leading Chinese fabless ARM-based SoC designer with strong presence in tablet, SBC, IoT, and edge AI markets. It competes indirectly with StarFive's JH-7110 application processor and VisionFive SBC platform, representing the dominant ARM-based incumbent in adjacent Chinese markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/starfive-tech
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/starfive-technology
• Xx.com/StarFiveTech

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 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 StarFive Technology