RISC-V Is Eating ARM's Lunch: What Hardware Engineers Need to Know in 2026
Open-source RISC-V silicon has crossed the threshold from academic curiosity to production-grade silicon. We explain what this means for hardware engineers choosing their next skill investment.
The inflection point is real
In 2026, RISC-V crossed a critical adoption threshold: more than a dozen semiconductor companies — including SiFive, Andes Technology, and ESWIN Computing — ship production-grade RISC-V cores powering everything from embedded microcontrollers to server-class CPUs. ARM still dominates mobile and edge, but the market dynamics are shifting.
Why RISC-V matters for your career
For FPGA and ASIC engineers, RISC-V represents a once-in-a-decade curriculum moment. The ISA is open, the toolchains are maturing, and employers in automotive, aerospace, and data-centre silicon are actively hiring engineers who can customise RISC-V pipelines. Skills like Verilog, SystemVerilog, and FPGA prototyping are now direct prerequisites for RISC-V architecture roles.
ARM isn't going anywhere
Intel, Qualcomm, and Apple remain deeply committed to ARM ecosystem tooling. But the rise of RISC-V means that hardware engineers who understand both ISA families will command a premium. SiFive's P870 core achieving server-class performance in 2025 has accelerated corporate pilot programmes considerably.
Practical next steps
- Prototype a minimal RISC-V core on an FPGA (Xilinx or Intel Quartus are both well-supported).
- Study the RISC-V privileged ISA specification — it governs OS and hypervisor interactions.
- Track SiFive's Freedom Studio and lowRISC's OpenTitan for real-world reference designs.
The Embedded Linux Engineer role is already being reshaped by RISC-V Linux support, and Yocto layers for RISC-V targets are now upstream.
Alison Green is one of the most trusted voices in workplace advice, with over 15 years of experience helping professionals navigate complex career challenges. As the creator and author of Ask a Manager, one of the most widely-read workplace advice blogs on the internet, she has answered thousands of questions about everything from how to handle difficult coworkers to negotiating salaries and managing teams effectively. Before launching her popular blog, Alison spent a decade in nonprofit management, where she oversaw hiring, staff development, and organizational strategy. Her hands-on experience managing teams and navigating workplace dynamics gives her a unique, practical perspective that resonates with both employees and managers alike. Alison's expertise spans a wide range of workplace topics including hiring best practices, interview techniques, professional communication, office politics, management culture, career development, and work-life balance. Her advice is known for being straightforward, empathetic, and grounded in real-world experience rather than generic corporate speak. Her work has been featured in major publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Forbes, Fast Company, and Inc. Magazine. She is the author of the book "Ask a Manager: How to Navigate Clueless Colleagues, Lunch-Stealing Bosses, and the Rest of Your Life at Work," which became a Wall Street Journal bestseller and has helped countless readers improve their professional lives. Alison holds a degree from American University and has been recognized as a leading authority on workplace dynamics and professional development. Her practical, no-nonsense approach to career advice has earned her a loyal following of millions of readers who trust her guidance on everything from resume writing to handling toxic work environments. Through her blog, speaking engagements, and writing, she continues to help professionals at all career levels succeed and thrive in their workplaces.
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