TL;DR
Get the latest gadgets delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
The European RISC-V Industrial Computing Initiative (ERICI) says it is coordinating an open reference stack that connects firmware, boot software, a partitioning hypervisor and operating systems on RVA23 hardware. The project aims to address a software-and-hardware coordination gap, but its industrial computer has not yet been built: the stack has been demonstrated on a SpacemiT K3 PicoITX board, not the cited commercial products.
The European RISC-V Industrial Computing Initiative (ERICI) has begun coordinating an open reference software stack for industrial computers based on RVA23 RISC-V chips, aiming to make firmware, a hypervisor and operating systems work together on real hardware. ERICI says the industrial computer itself has not yet been built; the project is addressing a gap between newly available development boards and the requirements of long-lived industrial systems.
ERICI describes its work as defining the interfaces between software layers and checking that they boot together on RVA23 hardware. Its proposed stack includes HFI BIOS firmware, the mr-bml boot loader, the gRouvr partitioning hypervisor, and separate real-time and general-purpose operating environments. The project says a computer that boots the stack would be considered ERICI-compatible.
The stated hardware target is the SpacemiT K3, an RVA23 system-on-chip with eight 64-bit X100 cores, a hypervisor extension and an IOMMU. ERICI says the partitioned stack has been demonstrated on a K3 PicoITX board, but not yet on the commercial systems it lists. The initiative identifies QSOE Systems as the developer of its reference components, while Linux is developed by its community.
ERICI’s report presents the Firefly AIBOX-K3 and Milk-V Jupiter2 as examples of RVA23 hardware available in 2026. It also lists limitations against industrial requirements: their published specifications do not establish features such as industrial certification, long-term availability, hardware watchdogs or isolated digital inputs and outputs. The report says the products are not endorsements and that their specifications come from manufacturers.
Bridging Boards and Factory Systems
Industrial computers can remain in service for 10 to 15 years or longer, according to ERICI’s description of the sector’s needs. Manufacturers therefore need more than a working processor: they need predictable hardware availability, interfaces for machine equipment, environmental resilience, and software that can be maintained and tested over time. The initiative’s central argument is that open processor hardware alone does not supply those pieces.
The proposed partitioning approach would run time-sensitive control software alongside general-purpose Linux on one chip, with CPUs, memory and devices assigned to separate partitions. If the design is validated for industrial use, it could give equipment makers a shared software starting point and reduce the need to assemble and check every layer independently. Those are potential benefits, not demonstrated outcomes: ERICI has not reported an industrial deployment or a certified product.
For buyers and developers, the immediate value is a clearer view of what remains between an RVA23 development board and a factory-ready computer. ERICI’s requirements table makes the distinction explicit: available boards can provide the processor capabilities, while industrial I/O, mounting, certification and sustained supply remain unconfirmed or absent from the published specifications.
Popular right now
Ninja Flip Toaster Oven & Air Fryer, Large Capacity, Stainless, SP151
Ninja Foodi Air Fryer, 8 Qt DualZone, 6-in-1, Grey, DZ201
Ninja Luxe Café Mini Plus Espresso and Drip Coffee Machine with AutoFroth, Stainless Steel (ES351)
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
From RVA23 Profile to Hardware
RISC-V is an open instruction-set architecture maintained through a multi-vendor ecosystem. ERICI contrasts it with x86 and Arm, whose instruction sets it describes as controlled and licensed by single companies. The initiative argues that an open architecture may give industrial users more choice over suppliers and roadmaps. That is ERICI’s rationale; openness by itself does not guarantee a second source, long-term support or industrial qualification.
The technical step ERICI identifies is the RVA23 profile, ratified in October 2024. According to the initiative, it makes the hypervisor and vector extensions mandatory for compliant processors, creating a more consistent baseline for software. ERICI’s timeline places the first RVA23 boards in 2026, alongside the initiative’s start. Its project page says such boards are available for developers, while distinguishing them from industrial computers.
The software layers are intended to work in sequence. Firmware initializes the machine and hands control to a UEFI boot loader; that loader can start operating systems or the hypervisor with their associated images. The hypervisor then assigns resources to partitions. ERICI describes the real-time environment as separate from the Linux operator environment, but says the demonstrated stack is not yet running on the two retail examples it names.
“The industrial computer built on it has not.”
— European RISC-V Industrial Computing Initiative
Industrial Readiness Still Unproven
ERICI has not identified a finished industrial computer running the complete reference stack. The supplied material says the stack has been demonstrated on a SpacemiT K3 PicoITX board, but gives no test results, independent validation, performance figures or detailed account of which functions were exercised. It is also unclear when the stack will be available for wider use or whether additional hardware vendors will adopt it.
Published product specifications do not confirm several requirements ERICI lists, including industrial EMC and safety certification, a 10-to-15-year supply commitment, broad temperature tolerance, and particular real-time fieldbus and I/O capabilities. The materials do not say whether manufacturers plan to add those features, or whether ERICI will define a formal certification or compatibility process. The claimed benefits of open hardware and partitioning should not be read as proof of reliability, safety or lifecycle support.
Testing Beyond Development Boards
The next stated technical step is to continue verifying the reference stack layer by layer on RVA23 hardware. ERICI’s project description points readers to a boot demonstration, but provides no schedule for a production-ready computer, industrial certification or commercial deployment. The initiative’s progress will depend on whether its software can be tested across more hardware and whether manufacturers supply the industrial features its requirements list identifies.
Developers and prospective buyers can watch for published test results, supported board lists, release documentation and commitments on maintenance and hardware availability. Until those details emerge, ERICI is best understood as a reference-stack effort, not as an announcement of a completed industrial computer.
Key Questions
What is ERICI announcing?
ERICI says it is coordinating an open reference stack for industrial computing on RVA23 RISC-V hardware. The stack is intended to connect firmware, a boot loader, a partitioning hypervisor and operating systems.
Is an ERICI industrial computer available now?
No finished industrial computer is identified in the supplied report. ERICI says the software stack has been demonstrated on a SpacemiT K3 PicoITX board, not on the Firefly AIBOX-K3 or Milk-V Jupiter2 examples it lists.
What does the partitioning hypervisor do?
ERICI describes gRouvr as assigning CPUs, memory and devices to separate partitions, so a real-time control environment and a general-purpose Linux environment can run on the same system. The initiative has not provided industrial deployment or certification evidence in the supplied material.
What industrial requirements remain unconfirmed?
The report does not establish that the listed products have industrial safety and EMC certification, 10-to-15-year availability, hardware watchdogs, isolated digital I/O or all the required real-time field interfaces. Some specifications are not stated by the manufacturers.
Source: erici.eu
