SANTA CLARA, Calif. – July 23, 2025 – In a move sending shockwaves through the semiconductor and high-performance computing industries, Nvidia announced today the imminent arrival of CUDA support for the open-standard RISC-V instruction set architecture (ISA). This strategic expansion breaks CUDA free from its traditional x86 and ARM strongholds, potentially unlocking a tidal wave of innovation in AI, scientific computing, and edge devices built on the open-source RISC-V foundation.
For years, Nvidia's CUDA platform has been the undisputed engine driving the AI revolution, but its reach was fundamentally tied to proprietary CPU architectures. RISC-V, developed collaboratively by a global community under the non-profit RISC-V International, offered an open alternative, gaining significant traction in embedded systems, specialized accelerators, and increasingly in more powerful applications. Yet, the lack of native CUDA support was seen by many as a barrier to RISC-V's entry into the highest echelons of accelerated computing.
"This is a pivotal moment," declared Ian Buck, Nvidia's Vice President of Accelerated Computing, during a virtual briefing. "Bringing the full power of our CUDA software stack to the RISC-V ecosystem fulfills a critical need expressed by developers and partners worldwide. It opens the door for RISC-V CPUs to seamlessly integrate with Nvidia GPUs, creating new pathways for innovation in AI, HPC, and beyond."
The implications are vast and multifaceted:
- Democratizing AI Acceleration: Startups and researchers developing novel RISC-V based systems – from ultra-low-power edge AI chips to specialized data center processors – can now leverage the mature CUDA ecosystem and vast library of GPU-accelerated applications without complex translation layers or performance compromises.
- Fueling RISC-V Adoption: This endorsement from the world's leading AI computing company is a massive vote of confidence for RISC-V. Industries like automotive (for autonomous driving compute), hyperscalers exploring custom silicon, and nations prioritizing technological sovereignty (like China, a major RISC-V adopter) now have a clearer, accelerated path using RISC-V alongside Nvidia GPUs.
- New System Architectures: The fusion enables novel heterogeneous computing designs. Imagine a powerful Nvidia GPU tightly coupled with energy-efficient, customizable RISC-V cores handling control flow, data management, or specialized tasks, all communicating seamlessly via CUDA.
- Challenging the Status Quo: While ARM remains a crucial partner for Nvidia (especially in client devices), bringing CUDA to the fully open RISC-V ISA introduces a new dynamic into the CPU architecture competition, particularly in the data center and emerging markets.
How We Got Here:
The groundwork for this move has been laid subtly. RISC-V International has steadily matured the ISA, adding crucial vector extensions (RVV) vital for AI/ML workloads. Nvidia itself has quietly incorporated RISC-V cores for years within its GPUs for internal management tasks. The growing maturity of RISC-V Linux distributions and toolchains also made this leap feasible. Industry sources point to increasing demand from major Nvidia partners exploring RISC-V solutions as the final catalyst.
Technical Rollout:
Initial support will focus on enabling RISC-V CPUs as hosts for Nvidia GPUs. Developers will be able to compile and run CUDA applications on RISC-V systems, utilizing the GPU for acceleration just as they do on x86 or ARM platforms. Nvidia is expected to release ports of its key CUDA toolkit components (compiler, libraries, developer tools) to RISC-V. Support will likely debut in Nvidia's standard Linux GPU drivers.
Industry Reaction:
News spread rapidly across tech forums and social media. "This is HUGE," tweeted @risc_v, the official account for RISC-V International, within minutes of the announcement. "A monumental step for open computing. The future is collaborative!"
Technical outlets were quick to dissect the implications. Phoronix noted the significance for the open-source ecosystem: "NVIDIA CUDA Coming To RISC-V: A Major Boost For Open-Source Compute". Videocardz highlighted the competitive landscape shift: "NVIDIA CUDA support coming to RISC-V architecture, joining x86 and Arm". Tom's Hardware emphasized the practical impact: "Nvidia's CUDA Platform Now Supports RISC-V... Bringing Open-Source Instruction Set to AI Platforms".
Challenges and the Road Ahead:
While the announcement is groundbreaking, hurdles remain. Performance tuning for diverse RISC-V implementations will be key. Ensuring robust support across the fragmented RISC-V hardware landscape (various core designs, extensions) will take effort from Nvidia and the community. Furthermore, the availability of high-performance, application-class RISC-V CPUs needed to fully feed high-end GPUs is still evolving, though projects like Ventana Micro Systems' Veyron V2 are pushing boundaries.
The Bottom Line:
Nvidia's decision to bring CUDA to RISC-V is far more than a technical port. It's a strategic realignment acknowledging the rising importance of open standards and the growing maturity of RISC-V. It shatters a perceived barrier, empowering a new wave of developers and system architects to build upon an open foundation accelerated by the world's leading GPU platform. The era of proprietary CPU walls around accelerated computing is officially ending. The future of compute just got a lot more open, diverse, and incredibly interesting.
Exciting news from #RISCVSummitChina, as Frans Sijstermans from NVIDIA announces CUDA is coming to RISC-V! This port will enable a RISC-V CPU to be the main application processor in a CUDA-based AI system.#RISCV #RISCVEverywhere pic.twitter.com/08C2ghPHq9
— RISC-V International (@risc_v) July 18, 2025
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