Chinese language {hardware} firm Milk-V Expertise is getting ready to launch a high-performance RISC-V pc with a distinction: the Pioneer packs in 64 bodily cores and helps as much as 128GB of RAM in user-upgradable DDR4 DIMM modules.
“Milk-V Pioneer is a developer motherboard, based mostly on [the] Sophon SG2042, in a typical mATX type issue,” Milk-V’s Yiran Ke explains. “With PC-like interfaces and PC industrial compatibility, Pioneer supplies a local RISC-V improvement surroundings and desktop expertise. It is a superb alternative for builders and {hardware} pioneers seeking to expertise the innovative know-how of RISC-V.”
The Sophon SG2042 on the coronary heart of the board, which stops in need of being a real single-board pc by dint of requiring add-on RAM modules, packs 64 T-Head XuanTie C920 64-bit RISC-V cores working at as much as 2GHz. Primarily based on the open supply C910, the C920 provides vector acceleration extensions to enhance efficiency for machine studying workloads — however, it should be famous, is predicated across the pre-ratification RISC-V Vector (RVV) 0.71 normal which lacks broad assist in compilers.
Even with out this, the SG2042 is a robust processor — and could be paired with as much as 128GB of DDR4 reminiscence, not included, whereas the chip’s PCI Categorical lanes are introduced out to a few full-length PCIe Gen. 3.0 slots with eight lanes every. There are 5 SATA ports for storage, a microSD card slot, two M.2 M-key slots each providing 4 lanes of PCIe 3.0 and appropriate with NVMe storage, and an E-key slot for an non-compulsory wi-fi module.
These longing for a fast begin can purchase a pre-built system, full with case, storage, and 64GB of RAM. (📷: Milk-V)
For exterior connectivity, the board — designed to fit into any mATX or bigger PC case — contains a powerful eight USB 3.0 ports, a header for an additional two ports, and a USB port for a devoted debug console. There are two 2.5-gigabit-Ethernet ports, however no on-board video output — that means that, for anybody hoping to hook the machine as much as a monitor, you may have to take up one of many three PCIe slots with a graphics card.
To get folks began rapidly, Milk-V is to launch the motherboard alongside a fully-built PC system dubbed the Pioneer Field. On this, the board is paired with 64GB of DDR4 reminiscence, a 1TB SSD, an Intel X520-T2 community card with two 10-gigabit-Ethernet ports, an AMD R5 230 graphics card, a 350W energy provide, a heatsink and fan, and a “slim white enclosure with deal with.”
The Sophon chip on the coronary heart of the machine provides pre-ratification RISC-V Vector extension assist. (📷: Sophon)
Curiously, Milk-V is leaning in to the free and open supply nature of RISC-V by pledging to make all {hardware} schematics and design recordsdata out there underneath an as-yet unspecified open supply license previous to the launch of its crowdfunding marketing campaign.
events can discover out extra and signal as much as be notified when the marketing campaign goes reside on Milk-V’s Crowd Provide web page. Pricing, nevertheless, has but to be introduced.
