America’s Strategic Blind Spot in the Global Chip Race
In September 2023, a Chinese military institute quietly filed a patent for a high-performance computer chip built on an open-source design. It’s a stark reminder of Beijing’s relentless pursuit of a homegrown chip renaissance regardless of Washington’s attempts to restrict China’s access to advanced technology and semiconductors. The chip’s blueprint came from RISC-V, an open-source architecture born out of American innovation that is now central to China’s plan for sidestepping U.S. technology controls.
For years, policymakers on both sides of the aisle have worked to block China from obtaining cutting-edge chips. Both the Trump and Biden administrations imposed export bans to deny Beijing the most advanced chips. Yet, those efforts left open a huge loophole: open-source chip designs like RISC-V that Chinese companies use to circumvent regulatory levers. (RELATED: How To Beat China in the Great Power Competition)
While open-source architecture might be beneficial in academia, it’s also potentially providing Beijing a one-way ticket to semiconductor independence.
RISC-V, the most significant open-source architecture, was first developed at the University of California, Berkeley, in 2010 and is open for anyone to use or modify — unlike proprietary and licensed intellectual property that is licensed out. While open-source architecture might be beneficial in academia, it’s also potentially providing Beijing a one-way ticket to semiconductor independence.
The Trump administration’s recent AI Action Plan embraced open-source technology as a way for the U.S. to lead in innovation. But openness without guardrails is a risk. (RELATED: The USA Can Dominate AI and Make STEM Great Again)
As the U.S. tightens export controls on chips, RISC-V’s “geographically neutral” status has made it a pillar of Beijing’s effort to reduce reliance on Western technology. In practice, when Washington bans the export of a particular processor to China, Chinese firms can simply pivot to RISC-V designs that lack the necessary security controls.
Beijing is investing heavily to capitalize on the popularity moment for RISC-V and open-source technology. A Reuters analysis found Chinese state agencies and research institutes — including many under U.S. sanctions — invested at least $50 million in RISC-V projects from 2018 to 2023. Funding for Chinese RISC-V startups has topped $1.1 billion.
One industry insider calls China’s RISC-V ecosystem “the most mature globally,” with homegrown chips already powering self-driving cars, AI models, and data centers. Tellingly, Chinese entities have filed 2,508 RISC-V-related patents, surpassing U.S. filings in this arena.
Even China’s military is riding the RISC-V technology wave. The People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) top research academy has used RISC-V in new chip designs, and PLA-linked universities rank among China’s leading RISC-V patent holders.
Ironically, U.S. innovation and technology know-how might be playing a pivotal role in RISC-V’s rise. In July, Nvidia revealed plans to port its CUDA software platform to run on RISC-V processors. This effectively gives China’s open-chip initiative a high-profile boost from one of America’s top AI chip companies. Our top innovators are contributing to an open-source ecosystem that may ultimately undermine domestic industry by fueling China’s movement towards chip independence from the West.
A RISC-V Summit was even held in the heart of Silicon Valley in October. In other words, we’re spotlighting a technology our top global rival sees as a cornerstone of their economic future.
The concern for national security experts in Washington is yet another red flag for RISC-V. Open-source chips from an adversary like China could harbor hidden vulnerabilities. Security experts warn that RISC-V’s openness makes it easy for bad actors to slip hard-to-detect backdoors into hardware. A compromised RISC-V chip in a state’s power grid or fighter jet, for instance, could give China the keys to critical and sensitive systems.
Unfortunately, the likelihood of this happening will continue to increase if Chinese-made RISC-V processors see wider global adoption.
While the Commerce Department recently acknowledged this risk and began reviewing possible actions, there needs to be more urgency in our policy actions.
Washington should consider new export controls to keep American tech from enabling the RISC-V efforts of our adversaries. Our policies need to scrutinize RISC-V-based hardware entering our supply chains. And we need to double down on secure, licensable alternatives so that we don’t cede the semiconductor future to open-source vulnerabilities while also powering China’s domestic chip renaissance.
While technological openness has long been an American strength, in this case, it is potentially empowering our foremost economic rival. RISC-V’s rise is giving Beijing a prime opportunity to leapfrog U.S. export controls and technology dominance. It is a national security blind spot we can no longer afford. If we inadvertently help fuel China’s domestic chip renaissance, we will pay the price in lost tech leadership and compromised security for years to come.
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David Hursey is a political commentator and Economic Development Director in North Carolina. He has contributed to several national publications on national security, economic, and cultural issues. He previously worked on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, and several presidential and congressional campaigns.
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