British startup launches low-power RISC-V processor design to address the twin problems of memory and energy; promises up to 50% faster calculation speeds

(Image credit: Blueshift Memory)

Blueshift’s BlueFive RISC-V processor addresses Memory and Energy Walls
BlueFive claims faster calculations, lower energy use via data optimization
Validated design integrates memory controller, CPU for better efficiency

Blueshift Memory has introduced a new RISC-V processor reference design intended to tackle twin computing challenges: the Memory Wall, caused by slower memory access compared to processors, and the Energy Wall, driven by the rising energy costs of data movement.

The UK-based firm claims its BlueFive processor can deliver 5 to 50 times faster calculation speeds, depending on the application and programming language, while reducing energy consumption by 50% to 65% through minimized data movement.

Blueshift’s processor is built on an open-source RISC-V core from the OpenHW Group and integrates its proprietary Yonder smart cache and BlueBlaze intelligent memory controller. The company says this combination eliminates memory-to-CPU latency, accelerates calculations, and reduces energy usage.

Validated design

“The hardware was initially created under our successful Innovation UK Smart grant project, and it has since been refined as a reference design for a standalone processor,” said Peter Marosan, founder and CTO of Blueshift Memory. “We are creating the software environment for this CPU with TensorFlow, Redis and C/C++ libraries, which will also make it accessible for Python.”

Blueshift says that the design has been validated in FPGA using the STREAM benchmark and tested with real-world applications, including computer vision AI and the Redis in-memory database.

The company says its non-Von Neumann architecture performs best when integrated into both memory and CPU.

“Our design is already validated on hardware, unlike other CPU solutions that aim to accelerate calculation, or offer only simulated results. It specifically addresses the Memory Wall - the fundamental problem that memory technology has fallen behind processor advances, and is holding back progress,” said Helen Duncan, CEO of Blueshift.

“We are already working with a commercial partner who will be a channel for our RISC-V solution. We are additionally making this reference design available for other customers to use, to create their own high-efficiency CPU designs.”

“We are collaborating with a manufacturer in SE Asia as well, to create a Blueshift Memory-enabled high bandwidth memory chip, and we will make a further announcement about this very soon,” Marosan added.

Wayne Williams is a freelancer writing news for TechRadar Pro. He has been writing about computers, technology, and the web for 30 years. In that time he wrote for most of the UK’s PC magazines, and launched, edited and published a number of them too.