Latest / Hardware Startups with Fexingo: Devices, Robotics, and Manufacturing Tech Companies / How Hardware Startups Use Open Source Hardware to Speed Development
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- Lucas: You know, if you look at the typical hardware startup's bill of materials, there's usually a line item for a microcontroller or a processor that carries a licensing fee — something like an ARM Cortex-M core. Luna: Right, and those fees add up, especially if you're scaling. But there's been a shift. Lucas: Exactly. More and more hardware startups are turning to open source hardware, specifically the risc v instruction set architecture. risc v is free to use — no license fees, no royalties. So a startup designing a custom IoT sensor can build a chip around risc v cores without paying ARM or Intel a dime. Luna: And it's not just about cost. It's about flexibility. You can modify the core to match your exact workload. Lucas: Precisely. Take a company like Espressif — they make the ESP32 microcontroller, which is based on a proprietary core. But newer designs are incorporating risc v. For a startup, using risc v means you can customize the instruction set for things like machine learning inference at the edge, or ultra-low-power sensor fusion, without being locked into a vendor's roadmap. Luna: But isn't there a risk? Open source hardware doesn't come with the same support ecosystem as, say, an ARM Cortex-M. If you hit a bug, you're on your own. Lucas: That's true. The support is more community-driven. But the trade-off is gaining independence. I've talked to startups that chose risc v specifically to avoid ARM's annual license renewal fees, which can easily run into six figures for a commercial license. For a pre-revenue startup, that's huge. Luna: And it's not just the chip itself. Open source hardware extends to boards, PCB designs, even mechanical enclosures. There's a whole ecosystem on GitHub where people share KiCad files for USB hubs, sensor boards, you name it. Lucas: Right. So instead of designing a custom breakout board from scratch, a startup can grab an open source design, modify it for their sensor, and order prototypes from a board house like JLCPCB within days. That's a massive time saver. Luna: But you have to be careful with licensing. Some open source hardware uses licenses like the CERN Open Hardware License, which requires you to share your modifications. If your product's competitive advantage is in the hardware design, that could be a problem. Lucas: That's a key point. Startups need to think about what's truly proprietary. Usually, the secret sauce is in the firmware, the algorithms, or the system integration — not the PCB layout. So sharing the board design doesn't give away the core value. Luna: And there are permissive licenses too, like the Solderpad license, which is essentially Apache 2.0 for hardware. That allows proprietary forks. Lucas: Yeah. So the trend is clear: open source hardware is lowering the barrier to entry. A startup can now develop a custom ASIC — application-specific integrated circuit — for a fraction of what it cost a decade ago, thanks to risc v and open source EDA tools like OpenRoad. Luna: Let's talk about a concrete example. I came across a company called GreenWaves Technologies — they make a risc v based processor for audio AI. They target hearing aids and smart earbuds. Their chip is ultra-low-power, and they customized the risc v core to handle neural networks efficiently. Lucas: That's a perfect example. They didn't need to license a DSP core from Tensilica or ARM. They built on risc v and focused on the AI accelerator. And because risc v is modular, they could add custom instructions for their neural network operations. Luna: So the message for hardware startups is: don't automatically default to the same chip everyone uses. Evaluate whether open source hardware can give you more control and save money. Lucas: Definitely. And the ecosystem is maturing fast. There are now risc v development boards from SiFive, the HiFive series, that let you prototype software before you tape out your chip. That's a game changer for startups that want to validate their firmware early. Luna: But you still need a good hardware engineer who understands digital design and the risc v spec. It's not plug and play. Lucas: No, it's not. But the talent pool is growing. Universities are teaching risc v in computer architecture courses now. So new grads are coming out familiar with it. Luna: And there are companies like Codasip that offer risc v processor IP with tools to customize it. So you can get a semi-custom core without building from scratch. Lucas: Right. So the spectrum goes from fully open source — like the VexRiscv core on GitHub — to commercial risc v IP with support. Startups can choose based on their risk tolerance and budget. Luna: The other angle is open source hardware for testing and validation. For example, there's an open source project called OpenFPGA that lets you prototype digital circuits on FPGAs. Startups can test their risc v design before committing to silicon. Lucas: That's huge because tape-out costs for a small chip can be hundreds of thousands of dollars. If you can validate your design on an FPGA with open source tools, you avoid a costly mistake. Luna: And let's not forget the community aspect. There are forums like the risc v International forums where startups can ask questions and get help from other engineers. That's valuable when you're bootstrapping. Lucas: Absolutely. It's like the early days of Linux for software. Open source hardware is democratizing chip design. And for a hardware startup, that means more options and less dependency on a few large suppliers. Luna: You know, this kind of deep-dive conversation is exactly why we keep this show ad-free. We want to give you useful, unfiltered insights without any commercial breaks. Lucas: Yeah, we deliberately don't run ads. If you find value in these episodes and want to support that choice, the link is buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: Even a small contribution helps us keep going. And it's entirely optional — we're just grateful you're listening. Lucas: Alright, back to open source hardware. I want to mention one more thing: the risc v software ecosystem. Tools like the GNU toolchain and LLVM now support risc v, so you can compile C code for your custom chip without proprietary compilers. Luna: That's a big deal because software toolchains can be a hidden cost. With open source, you avoid license fees for the compiler and debugger. Lucas: Exactly. So the total cost of ownership for a risc v based product can be significantly lower than a comparable arm based one, especially if you're doing a custom chip. Luna: I think the key takeaway for hardware startups is: don't overlook open source hardware. It's not just for hobbyists anymore. It's a legitimate strategy to reduce costs, speed development, and maintain control. Lucas: Well said. And if we look ahead, I expect more startups will adopt risc v and open source PCB designs as the norm. The question is, how will the incumbents respond? Luna: That's a question for another episode. For now, thanks for tuning in.