RISC-V and Sovereign Computing

🧠 RISC-V: The Future of Sovereign Computing

For decades, global computing has been built atop architectures like x86 and ARM — powerful, yes, but also opaque, proprietary, and riddled with hidden bugs. These flaws are often buried under layers of mitigation software, firmware patches, and undocumented quirks. And every few years, they resurface — Spectre, Meltdown, Foreshadow — demanding yet more software gymnastics to contain them.

But what if we could build a computing foundation that was transparent by design?

RISC-V is an open, modular instruction set architecture that’s redefining what it means to build trustworthy hardware. With publicly auditable specs, community-driven compliance, and no licensing barriers, RISC-V offers:

• 🧩 Clean architecture with fewer legacy quirks
• 🔍 Full visibility into instruction behavior and microarchitecture
• 🛠️ Customizability for civic, industrial, and sovereign use cases
• 🌍 Global collaboration without vendor lock-in

🇮🇳 Shakti CPUs: India’s Sovereign Silicon

Developed by IIT Madras, the Shakti processor family is India’s answer to the call for open, indigenous computing platforms. Built on RISC-V, Shakti CPUs span everything from 180nm domestic tapeouts to 22nm FinFET multicore designs, proving that sovereignty doesn’t mean sacrificing capability.

Shakti Class	Target Use	Fabrication Node
E-Class	IoT, smart cards	180nm, 28nm
C-Class	Embedded Linux	180nm, 22nm
I/M/S-Class	Industrial, mobile, server	22nm and below

🛡️ The Civic Cost of Hidden Bugs

When computing architectures are closed, bugs become secrets. When they’re open, bugs become shared responsibilities. RISC-V doesn’t promise perfection — but it promises accountability, auditability, and freedom.

And in a world where digital sovereignty is as vital as territorial sovereignty, that’s a future worth building.