Jon Peddie Research (JPR) today released its RISC-V Market Insights – Q3 2025 Update, tracking how the RISC-V ecosystem is shifting from open-ended customization to hardened, platform-based productization. The update highlights a decisive turn in market incentives: Value is concentrating in integrated platforms and long-term integration contracts, not low-fee, per-core IP licensing.
“The market has priced itself. Low-end cores won’t fund big roadmaps; platform revenue and integration contracts will. That reality explains why foundries are reaching up the stack, why IP vendors are bundling software and safety systems, and why toolchains are being absorbed into larger platforms,” said David Harold, JPR senior analyst. “Expect fewer independent shops trying to live on per-core fees. The buyers have made their preference clear, and the suppliers are reorganizing around it.”
Key findings in the Q3 update
- Foundries move up-stack. GlobalFoundries’ acquisition of MIPS signals a foundry push to own CPU tuned to their nodes, safety docs in hand, and packaging paths pre-qualified—shortening time to integration.
- Platforms over parts. Vendors are winning with pre-hardened subsystems (e.g., Tenstorrent/CoreLab’s Atlantis for embodied AI) and software-first vectors (e.g., SiFive’s refreshed Intelligence line) that reduce risk and remove months of bring-up.
- Software readiness crosses a threshold. Nvidia CUDA support on RISC-V hosts and growing alignment around profiles and standards make RISC-V feel familiar on Day One.
- Consolidation accelerates. With too many IP vendors chasing too few premium sockets, M&A and deep alliances are the logical response.
The report connects the dots from customer demand to vendor strategy.
“Put together, this is why you see platform plays and vertical moves,” said Dr. Jon Peddie, president of JPR. “Vendors are chasing where customers will actually pay: integrated deliverables that remove time and risk, not just pretty ISA extensions. Buyers are chasing savings and sovereignty. The result is a market where RISC-V IP is cheaper than Arm on a like-for-like license, the royalty meter runs slower (or not at all), and the make-vs.-license calculus gets decided by who can amortize NRE—and with whom.”
Adds Harold, “RISC-V’s center of gravity has moved to production-grade building blocks. If you’re not arriving with a platform—firmware, safety packets, verification collateral, packaging options—you’re late to the real conversation.”
To learn more or to subscribe, visit www.jonpeddie.com.
JPR also publishes a series of reports on GPU quarterly shipments, CPU shipments, the graphics add-in board market, the workstation market, and the PC gaming hardware market. The latter covers the total market, including systems and accessories, and examines 31 countries.
Pricing and availability
JPR’s Q3’25 RISC-V Market Insights report is available now for $4,000 for four quarterly issues, which includes a half hour of telephone consulting time per quarter, or $2,500 for a single issue with telephone time. For information about this and other JPR reports, go to jonpeddie.com.
