RISC-V could be the key to European supercomputer sovereignty
A group of European tech organizations has launched a project aimed at strengthening Europe’s technological sovereignty in high-performance computing (HPC) and AI.
The Digital Autonomy with RISC-V in Europe (DARE) project has an initial budget of €240 million, and plans to develop next-generation European processors and computing systems, including an optimized software ecosystem, over the next three years.
“I am proud to announce the launch of the DARE project which marks a significant milestone for European digital sovereignty,” said Anders Jensen, EuroHPC JU executive director.
“This ambitious initiative will drive innovation in both hardware and software technologies and leverage the full power of HPC and AI to develop secure, efficient, and European-led solutions for the future.”
With Europe still dependent on non-European hardware and software solutions for its supercomputing infrastructure, there are risks to the union’s security, economic stability, and technological competitiveness.
Through the scheme, the consortium aims to boost sovereignty and security by leveraging the open RISC-V ecosystem and develop three home-grown RISC-V-based chiplets, designed to work in combination.
The first is a Vector Accelerator (VEC) for high-precision HPC and emerging applications where HPC and AI converge, with development led by Openchip.
The second is an AI Processing Unit (AIPU) designed for AI inference acceleration in HPC applications, led by Axelera AI.
Dubbed Titania, it’s based on the company’s own Digital In-Memory Computing (D-IMC) architecture, and is designed to be scalable from the edge to the cloud.
Meanwhile, the third is a customizable general-purpose processor (GPP) optimized for AI, big data processing and supercomputing, with development led by Codasip.
“DARE is daring to start from the top of the technological complexity pile and produce European-designed processor chips for supercomputers, paving the way for Europe’s digital sovereignty,” said Osman Unsal, DARE SGA1 principal investigator at BSC-CNS.
DARE scheme eyes greater hardware synergy
The group is planning to develop hardware and software in tandem, using a set of European HPC and AI applications to guide development.
This will see the creation of a complete software stack, optimized for the hardware under development and built in parallel with the hardware design. The project will use RISC-V emulators and simulators while the hardware is developed and refined.
The EU has been focusing on home-grown chip development since before September 2023 when the European Chips Act was formally adopted, and has since been putting its money where its mouth is.
In September 2024, for example, the Chips Joint Undertaking (Chips JU) announced a €65 million funding call to encourage the development of quantum chip technology.
And the risk isn’t going away, with the US having restricted the export of advanced AI chips to just 18 countries, of which only 10 belong to the EU, raising further concerns.
“DARE SGA1 is not just about technology development — it is about defining the roadmap for Europe’s post-exascale supercomputers,” said the team.
“The project will pave the way for future generations of supercomputers that are designed, built, and optimized in Europe, ensuring that Europe remains at the forefront of HPC and AI development and use.”
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