{"id":30546,"date":"2026-03-12T08:41:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T08:41:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/30546\/"},"modified":"2026-03-12T08:41:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T08:41:09","slug":"how-switzerland-could-shape-the-chip-industrys-power-balance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/30546\/","title":{"rendered":"How Switzerland could shape the chip industry\u2019s power balance"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AI<\/p>\n

AI has increased global appetite for semiconductors <\/p>\n

Keystone <\/p>\n

The race for semiconductor supremacy is fuelling geopolitical tensions between the world\u2019s superpowers. But a Swiss-based open-source technology aims to prevent a few dominant countries and companies from holding all the chips.\n<\/p>\n

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March 12, 2026 – 09:08\n<\/p>\n

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Just as the open-source Linux operating system has long challenged software market leaders such as Microsoft, the RISC-V (pronounced \u2018Risk Five\u2019) movement is on a mission to disrupt monopolies in hardware.<\/p>\n

The RISC-V International Association has sat in relative obscurity in Zurich for the last six years. The non-profit is the guardian of the RISC-V open-source \u201cInstruction Set Architecture\u201d (ISA), a piece of technology that could grant smaller companies greater freedom in what kind of computerised tools they can build.<\/p>\n

ISAs form a critical bridge between software and hardware. They translate complex computer code into operational instructions for chips. Every computerised device needs one. Without ISAs, computers and smartphones would be rendered dormant, AI could not exist and cars would lose cutting-edge digital features.<\/p>\n

Most digital systems worldwide are dependent on just two versions of ISA, one from United States giant Intel and the other from British manufacturer ARM. The firms generate hefty fees by licensing access to their ISAs under restrictive operating conditions.<\/p>\n

+ Chip-making factory aims to boost Swiss semiconductors<\/a><\/p>\n

This burdens companies with extra costs and reduces the options for customising hardware for specific use cases. This is particularly important for start-ups designing the next generation of semiconductor chips to meet the evolving demands of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI).<\/p>\n

Scope to innovate<\/p>\n

The limited options for ISAs also give the United States and British governments tighter control over the global chip market. An open-source standard like RISC-V affords hardware designers greater scope to innovate on a smaller budget.<\/p>\n

\n More<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

More <\/p>\n

Research frontiers\n <\/p>\n

How semiconductors are made <\/p>\n

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Aug 4, 2025 <\/p>\n

Making semiconductor chips for computers, machinery, transport and other devices is a costly and a lengthy process. How exactly is it done? <\/p>\n

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Read more: How semiconductors are made
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\u00a0\u201cWe can leverage RISC-V to differentiate and showcase our technology for free,\u201d says Alessandro Aimar, founder and chief technology officer of the Swiss startup Synthara, which works with manufacturers to improve the performance of edge and data centre AI chips.<\/p>\n

Encouraging a host of small companies around the world to enter the semiconductor industry has stimulated the entire market, Aimar adds. \u201cThe silicon sector is at its most dynamic since the early 1990s,\u201d he said. \u201cThe two main contributors are artificial intelligence and RISC-V.\u201d<\/p>\n

RISC-V was founded at the University of California, Berkeley in 2010. Like the World Wide Web, RISC-V started as an academic project to spur innovation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n More<\/p>\n

\"Swiss<\/p>\n

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Swiss AI\n <\/p>\n

Swiss chip industry fuelled by research, not cash windfalls <\/p>\n

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Many countries are pouring billions into their semiconductor industries, but Swiss funds focus on research. <\/p>\n

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Read more: Swiss chip industry fuelled by research, not cash windfalls
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But in recent years, the RISC-V association has quietly orchestrated a global membership base of more than 4,500 academics, start-ups and larger commercial partners. US heavyweights like Nvidia, Microsoft and Google sit side-by-side with Chinese giants Huawei, Tencent and Alibaba.<\/p>\n

Trade tensions<\/p>\n

The lure is the promise of the open-source ISA to steer a neutral path through trade tensions, realize cost benefits, boost chip research and increase competition.<\/p>\n

Big firms already incorporate RISC-V components, known as cores, microprocessors and accelerators, into their products. Nvidia alone shipped more than a billion RISC-V cores in its chips in 2024.<\/p>\n

RISC-V components are present in vehicles, wearables, data centres and supercomputers and are used in the cosmos by the US and European space agencies.<\/p>\n

The RISC-V International Association\u2019s Swiss address is proving to be a valuable asset. The entity was originally set up in Delaware in 2015, but with countries threatening to restrict the sale and trade of semiconductors, RISC-V moved to Zurich in 2020 to escape potential political interference.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom around the world, we\u2019ve heard that \u2018If the incorporation was not in the US, we would be a lot more comfortable\u2019\u201d, then RISC-V CEO Calista Redmond told Reuters at the time.<\/p>\n

The association\u2019s new CEO, Andrea Gallo, strikes a softer tone. The association maintains the ISA\u2019s standards and development but does not seek to influence who uses it and for what purpose.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are respectful and fully compliant with trade regulations in every country,\u201d Gallo told Swissinfo. \u201cBeing in Switzerland is testament to our neutrality across all time zones, geographies and cultures.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip sovereignty<\/p>\n

Companies like the Swiss start-up Synthara recognise the freedoms offered by an open-source ISA hardware instruction manual, known in industry circles as an architecture.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no longer a need to remain dependent on an architecture whose supply the US could restrict, leaving you unable to obtain compatible processors,\u201d said Aimar. \u201cCompanies are no longer tied to the British government for permission to use ARM technology.\u201d<\/p>\n

The US Congress has sounded alarm bells about Chinese use of RISC-V to boost its semiconductor capabilities. Media reports from last year spoke of China adopting RISC-V adoption to reduce reliance on Western technology.<\/p>\n

\n More<\/p>\n

\"Universities<\/p>\n

More <\/p>\n

Swiss AI\n <\/p>\n

Switzerland hosts \u2018CERN of semiconductor research\u2019 <\/p>\n

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Swiss universities rely on open-source technology to design more efficient chips. <\/p>\n

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Read more: Switzerland hosts \u2018CERN of semiconductor research\u2019
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

In 2023 the US Congress Select Committee on China wrote to the Department of Commerce to raise concerns of \u201cnational security risks\u201d connected with China\u2019s use of RISC-V \u201cwith the explicit purpose of undermining US export controls and leapfrogging our technological leadership in chip design\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Department of Commerce did not respond to Swissinfo\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>\n

But the open-source alternative to Intel and ARM still has a way to go before it can challenge the industry leaders, explains Frank G\u00fcrkaynak, director of the Microelectronics Design Centre at the Swiss federal technology institute ETH Zurich.<\/p>\n

Next level<\/p>\n

\u201cCompanies invest hundreds of millions of dollars to make the most sophisticated chips,\u201d he told Swissinfo. \u201cThey will not consider using an open standard like RISC-V if they are not convinced that it is governed properly and will remain stable for the long-term.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey want evidence of proper governance, something tangible and usable. Big companies want to be part of the discussion, to ensure future development stays within a comfortable range.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moves are underway to take RISC-V to a new level. The association is collaborating with Linux to create an open-source trinity of software, ISA and hardware.<\/p>\n

Aligning all three elements, along with reliable development and support activities, is crucial to competing at the top table.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaking a new processor is not that difficult,\u201d said G\u00fcrkaynak. \u201cMaking the entire software ecosystem connect with the hardware is very difficult. It takes hundreds of years of combined working hours to make a laptop function.\u201d<\/p>\n

The RISC-V International Association has a clear future ambition as it levels the playing field for smaller chip designers around the world. \u201cOur vision is for RISC-V to become the standard ISA of choice\u201d, said Gallo.<\/p>\n

But this doesn\u2019t necessarily mean putting today\u2019s dominant companies out of business. \u201cThe market is so large, and is growing so fast, there is room for everyone,\u201d Gallo added.<\/p>\n

Edited by Gabe Bullard\/VdV<\/p>\n

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