Apple shows interest in RISC-V chips, a competitor to iPhones' Arm tech

It’s not clear exactly what Apple’s plans are for the technology.

Apple didn’t respond to a request for comment.

One of the RISC-V’s creators is seminalprocessor designer David Patterson, andstartups like SiFiveandEsperanto Technologies are commercializing RISC-Vdesigns.

The job description offers some details about Apple’s plans.

One of RISC-V’s claims to fame is that it’s free to use, unlike Arm.

But anyone adopting RISC-V chips still has to design one or obtain a design from somebody who has.

Shifting from one processor family to another is a major ordeal.

Countless third-party programmers also have to revamp their software for new processor families, though.