Looks like I'm going to cover the SiFive/RISC-V drama. RISC-V is an instruction set architecture (like ARMv8 or x86) that's unique because it's an open standard. Unlike ARM or x86, you don't need a license to develop a core that implements the RISC-V ISA. SiFive is one of the pioneers of RISC-V and was founded by, well, the creators of the RISC-V ISA. They develop cores that implement the RISC-V ISA, which you can then license and integrate into your chips.

Amid intensifying tech war, 1 US chip design firm sees opportunity in China

It's not exactly a secret that RISC-V has gained significant traction in China and that SiFive has been trying to court Chinese customers.

RISC-V technology emerges as battleground in US-China tech war

Representative Mike Gallagher, chairman of the House select committee on China, said in a statement to Reuters that the Commerce Department needs to "require any American person or company to receive an export license prior to engaging with PRC (People's Republic of China) entities on RISC-V technology."

Jack Kang, vice president of business development at SiFive, a Santa Clara, California-based startup using RISC-V, said potential U.S. government restrictions on American companies regarding RISC-V would be a "tremendous tragedy." "It would be like banning us from working on the internet," Kang said. "It would be a huge mistake in terms of technology, leadership, innovation and companies and jobs that are being created."

However, recent US political decisions are screwing over SiFive's expansion plans... And, judging by the comments made by Congress, nobody knows what they're talking about.

The Risk of RISC-V: What’s Going on at SiFive?

Through multiple sources, SiFive has instigated a large number of layoffs. Numbers vary, from 100 to 300+, but multiple sources confirm that most of the engineering team, especially the physical design engineers, sales, and product team. The management team have also been fired from what I’ve been told, leaving the founders and CEO Patrick Little at the helm.

It's been reported that SiFive will no longer be providing predesigned cores (think like ARM's X1, A55, A76, etc.) and will be shifting their business model entirely to custom cores. In general, custom = less money because of poor scalability.

I don't think this is a coincidence. The loss of the Chinese market is a massive reduction in serviceable addressable market, which VCs pay a lot of attention to. I think this is a sign that VCs are derisking from their SiFive investment and forcing SiFive to adopt a leaner business model. I think this is also an indication that lobbyists from ARM, AMD, and Intel are working hard behind the scenes to spread FUD among Congress.