In a move set to shake up the datacenter market, SiFive today announced the launch of its most powerful RISC-V processor yet. The new chip is specifically designed to tackle the intense workloads of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).

The company, a leading provider of RISC-V core IP, says its latest processor combines high-performance computing with the power efficiency datacenters need to stay cool and keep costs down.

"AI and ML workloads are pushing the limits of traditional datacenter infrastructure," said Patrick Little, CEO of SiFive. "Our new processor is purpose-built to address this challenge, delivering the performance these demanding applications require while keeping power consumption in check."

SiFive's processor leverages the open-source RISC-V architecture, which has gained popularity for its flexibility and customizability. By building on RISC-V, SiFive can offer a solution tailored to the specific needs of AI/ML workloads.

"RISC-V's open nature allows us to optimize our processor for these compute-intensive workloads in ways proprietary architectures cannot," said Yunsup Lee, SiFive's CTO and co-founder. "The result is a level of performance and efficiency that's ideal for datacenter deployments."

SiFive plans to make its new processor available to customers later this year. The company is already working with select partners to integrate the chip into their datacenter products.

With its latest release, SiFive is poised to make a splash in the datacenter market, which is increasingly turning to custom silicon to meet the demands of AI/ML. The company's focus on openness and optimization position it well to capture a slice of this growing pie.

"As AI and ML continue to transform industries, the need for purpose-built datacenter processors will only grow," said Little. "SiFive is at the forefront of this trend, and our new processor is just the beginning of what we have in store."