Last month Andes Technology refreshed its high-end RISC-V CPU line. The new AX66 and AX46 raise integer performance by 15% over the earlier AX65 and AX45. Both target application processing, meaning they can host a high-level operating system, specifically Linux. High-end application processing in the Andes context includes designs for wearables, set-top boxes, automotive electronics, network data-processing units (DPUs), and AI accelerators (NPUs) such as those from Fractile and Meta. A normal PC or smartphone needs much more performance, a moot point given they also require Arm or x86 compatibility. The new cores will sample this quarter and next.
Andes focuses less on configurability and customization than Codasip or Semidynamics. Nonetheless, Andes offers numerous AX66 and AX46 options, such as 32-bit versions as well as vector and matrix extensions. The Andes Ace framework supports adding custom instructions. Licensees can employ up to eight (AX66) or sixteen (AX46) CPUs per cluster, and the former adds a CHI interface for multicluster coherence.
The company’s key selling point is its nineteen-year track record of licensing CPU cores. Andes is a growing, publicly traded company generating about $40 million in annual revenue. High-profile design wins indicate the company provides quality cores and customer service. Andes has ramped up R&D spending this past year, and the new AX66 and AX46 show the company is steadily improving its portfolio for customers’ next-generation designs.