Oct 6, 2025
In a historic breakthrough for the global tech industry, the eProcessor Project proudly announces the successful development and deployment of the Europe’s first out-of-order RISC-V processor silicon. This innovative processor, manufactured in a 22nm process, represents a leap forward in computational performance, setting a new benchmark for efficiency and speed in a range of industries, including automotive, AI, and high-performance computing.
Out-of-order execution allows the processor to optimize the use of system resources by executing instructions out of sequence. This greatly enhances the processor’s overall performance, offering substantial gains for applications that require high computational power. Moreover, the processor runs Linux, demonstrating its full functionality for real-world applications and confirming its capabilities in complex environments.
A Landmark Achievement for RISC-V and European Innovation
This pioneering development positions Europe as a leader in the global semiconductor and open-source hardware movement. The eProcessor Project, which brings together a collaborative network of industry experts, innovators, and researchers including key partners like Chalmers University, Forth, Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), Christmann, Exapsys, Extoll, Sapienza, Thales, Universität Bielefeld, and Cortus, marks a significant milestone in the RISC-V ecosystem. As the main partner contributor on the RISC-V processor, Cortus played a critical role in the architecture, design, and development of the 4-way Out-of-Order (OoO) RISC-V processor, driving the project forward with its deep expertise in processor architecture. Cortus’ contributions were pivotal in realizing the ambitious goals of the project, ensuring that the processor met the highest standards of performance, scalability, and energy efficiency.
Cortus was also responsible for the silicon implementation and chip packaging.
This project is fully aligned with Cortus’ strategy and roadmap, reinforcing the company’s commitment to advancing RISC-V architecture and driving innovations in the semiconductor space, particularly in areas like high-performance computing, and automotive solutions.
Key Milestone: Europe’s First Out-of-Order RISC-V Processor Silicon Successfully Deployed
The successful deployment of the Europe’s first out-of-order RISC-V processor silicon marks a key milestone in the eProcessor Project. This achievement represents the culmination of years of collaboration and technological innovation, bringing Europe to the forefront of semiconductor advancements. This milestone opens the door for future generations of processors, driving progress in both high-performance computing (HPC) and automotive systems, and will enable the development of a full-stack RISC-V ecosystem.
In Line with the EU Strategy and the European Chips Act
This project is a key step forward in Europe’s broader technological goals and is fully in line with the European Union’s strategy for semiconductor innovation, especially in light of the EU Chips Act. The EU has committed to boosting its semiconductor capacity, and the eProcessor Project plays a critical role in advancing Europe’s position in the global chip market. By contributing to the development of open-source RISC-V processors, the project supports the EU’s vision for technological autonomy, innovation, and a more resilient semiconductor supply chain across Europe.
eProcessor Project Lead, Lluc Alvarez, from BSC, commented: “The successful development of the first out-of-order RISC-V processor is a true testament to the power of collaboration and innovation. By leveraging the strength of our talented project members, including Cortus as the primary contributor, we’ve made a quantum leap in RISC-V processing technology, setting the stage for a new generation of computing solutions. This project is a critical milestone in Cortus’ strategic roadmap and reinforces our position at the forefront of RISC-V development.”
During the final deliverables and closing meeting of the eProcessor project, it was highlighted that the project has not only met its technical objectives but has also exceeded expectations. The out-of-order RISC-V processor is a significant milestone, showcasing the strength of Europe’s innovation ecosystem and suggesting the potential for a new era in computing.
Revolutionizing the Automotive Industry and Beyond
The successful creation of this out-of-order RISC-V processor is poised to revolutionize a number of industries, especially the automotive sector, where computing power and efficiency are critical to the development of autonomous driving systems, vehicle safety, and intelligent transportation. The processor’s ability to deliver high-performance computing at a lower energy cost is especially valuable in embedded systems, where resource efficiency is paramount.
Building a Complete European Open-Source Ecosystem
The eProcessor Project built a new Out-of-Order (OoO) RISC-V processor and accelerators to deliver a complete European full-stack ecosystem. The technology developed is extendable, energy-efficient (low power), extreme-scale (high performance), and suitable for uses in both high-performance computing (HPC) and embedded applications. Moreover, it is extensible, enabling easy integration of on-chip and/or off-chip components to meet evolving needs.
The project is an ambitious combination of processor design based on the RISC-V Instruction Set Architecture (ISA), applications, and system software. It leverages and extends pre-existing Intellectual Property (IP) combined with new IP that can be used as building blocks for future HPC systems and embedded devices, further solidifying Europe’s position as a leader in open hardware development.
Collaborative Effort with Leading Research Institutions and Industry Experts
The eProcessor Project’s success owes much to the collaboration with leading research institutions and industry experts. Partners like Chalmers University, Forth, BSC, Christmann, Exapsys, Extoll, Sapienza, Thales, Universität Bielefeld, and Cortus have contributed their expertise in hardware design, software optimization, and high-performance computing to ensure that the processor meets the demands of modern computing environments. These partnerships have been integral in validating the processor’s ability to run complex software, including Linux, making it ready for a wide range of real-Europe applications.
Global Impact and the Future of RISC-V
This processor not only represents a significant step forward in RISC-V adoption but also pushes the boundaries of what is possible with open-source hardware. With its enhanced performance and scalability, this breakthrough out-of-order processor is expected to fuel innovation in fields ranging from AI and machine learning to edge computing and smart devices.
As RISC-V continues to gain traction globally, this achievement helps cement the eProcessor Project’s role in the ongoing transformation of the semiconductor industry, offering an alternative to traditional closed-source architectures and providing new opportunities for companies to innovate with flexible, customizable processors.
The Path Ahead: Unlocking New Potential
To fully realize the potential of this groundbreaking RISC-V processor and compete at a global level, continued investment and strategic support are essential. While the eProcessor Project has made significant progress, further funding is necessary to enhance performance, refine architecture, and position it as a competitor to industry leaders like AMD, Intel and Arm.
This project is more than just a technical achievement, it’s a real opportunity to foster a new European hardware ecosystem, advancing technological autonomy and reducing reliance on external suppliers. With additional resources, the eProcessor Project can drive innovation in key sectors such as HPC, AI, automotive, and IoT, contributing to Europe’s long-term goals of digital sovereignty and leadership in semiconductor design.
Investing in the eProcessor Project not only supports cutting-edge technology but also positions Europe as a global leader in sustainable, customizable processors. With the right funding, this initiative will unlock new economic and technological opportunities, advancing Europe’s competitive edge in the global market.
About the eProcessor Project:
The eProcessor Project is a collaborative effort between leading tech innovators, academic researchers, and industry experts, including key contributors such as Chalmers University of Technology, Forth, Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), Christmann, Exapsys, Extoll, Sapienza, Thales, Universität Bielefeld, and Cortus. Focused on the development of RISC-V processors, the project aims to push the boundaries, delivering high-performance, customizable computing solutions for applications in automotive, AI, IoT, and more. With a commitment to fostering global innovation, the eProcessor Project continues to shape the future of semiconductor design, building a European ecosystem.
For media inquiries, please contact:
- BSC, Lluc Alvarez: eprocessor-general@bsc.es
- Cortus, Christophe Genevois: christophe.genevois@cortus.com
Sep 18, 2025
Bangalore, India – Tuesday 9th September, 2025
SmartSoC Solutions Private Limited, an Indian semiconductor design and product engineering company, today announced a strategic partnership with Cortus S.A.S., a French semiconductor company renowned for its cutting-edge Intellectual Property (IP) solutions in secure identification technologies. This partnership aims to drive innovation and accelerate the development and manufacturing of SIM cards, Smart cards, banking cards, and e- passport chip solutions in India, establishing a robust domestic capability in secure and mission-critical chip design.
Founded in India, SmartSoC Solutions has built a reputation as one of the fastest-growing engineering service companies, offering very large scale integration (VLSI), embedded software, Internet of Things (IoT), and AI-driven solutions to global customers. With over 1,350 engineers operating globally, SmartSoC Solutions has emerged as a key contributor to India’s growing semiconductor ecosystem.
Cortus, headquartered in Montpellier, France, is a leading chip solution provider that leverages its broad IP portfolio, custom chip design capabilities, and advanced technologies to specialize in secure elements and semiconductor solutions. With over 17 billion chips deployed worldwide, Cortus technology powers a wide range of applications including SIM cards, smart cards, banking cards, cryptocurrency, pay-TV, e-passports, as well as automotive, consumer, and industrial sectors.
Shipping approximately 1.2 billion chips annually, Cortus is now sharpening its focus on automotive, avionics, and artificial intelligence (AI) chipsets. It delivers complete system-on- chip (SoC) solutions designed to meet the stringent safety, security, and performance standards of modern vehicles. Cortus’ secure, energy-efficient, and scalable designs are trusted globally for identity protection, financial transaction security, and automotive-grade applications.
To support the growing demand for advanced, high-performance semiconductor solutions worldwide, Cortus has established strategic alliances across Europe, China, and India. These partnerships strengthen local design, development, and support capabilities, fostering closer collaboration with regional markets. Cortus is expanding this network to build a resilient, diversified ecosystem that accelerates innovation and delivers next-generation RISC-V solutions tailored for mission-critical and safety-sensitive applications.
“SmartSoC Solutions is excited to collaborate with Cortus in bringing advanced secure chip technologies to India,” said Bharath Desareddy, CEO of SmartSoC Solutions. “This partnership marks a significant milestone in our mission to enable secure and self-reliant silicon manufacturing in India. With Cortus’ proven IP and expertise in secure identification and our deep design and engineering capabilities, we are confident of delivering world-class chipsets tailored for the Indian and global markets.”
“We see India as a key market for secure identity and financial transaction chips,” said Michael Chapman, CEO of Cortus. “Our collaboration with SmartSoC reflects Cortus’ commitment to building global partnerships for local innovation. We are excited to work with a like-minded partner to drive sustainable and secure chip production in the region.”
With the government’s growing emphasis on Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India), Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes, and recent policy pushes for secure digital identity and financial infrastructure, the timing is ripe for local innovation and manufacturing.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Pritika Koul | pritika.koul@smartsocs.com
SmartSoC Solutions Pvt. Ltd. | Website:www.smartsocs.com
About SmartSoC:
SmartSoC Solutions is a global provider of semiconductor design and embedded engineering services, specializing in turnkey project execution, custom ASIC development, and foundry services. With deep domain expertise and a solutions-driven approach, SmartSoC enables clients to accelerate growth and scale efficiently. Our collaborative, end-to-end approach enables leading semiconductor and system companies to streamline development cycles and bring differentiated silicon solutions to market with precision. Visit us at https://www.smartsocs.com
About Cortus:
Cortus is a global fabless semiconductor company delivering high-performance RISC-V automotive chips up to 4 GHz capable of 4 instructions/cycle, with integrated AI inference optimized for computer vision. Cortus designs and supplies advanced RISC-V chips tailored for automotive, avionics, and AI- driven systems, combining high performance, energy efficiency, and functional safety to meet the most demanding industry requirements. Visit us at https://www.cortus.com
Nov 28, 2022
Cortus, an innovative French fabless semiconductor manufacturing group today announces two new RISC-V microcontrollers (MCUs). They are designed for ease of use, and to simplify migration from existing MCUs with maximal software reuse to minimize development cost.
Lotus1: Low-cost consumer MCU with electric motor control
Lotus2: Automotive MCU for body and chassis control
The integration of the RISC-V solution into Automotive and Consumer products is becoming a natural choice for industrial companies. RISC-V is a well-known open-source standard Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) combined with a strong and robust software ecosystem. This combination provides flexibility, customization and long-term evolution which makes RISC-V perfectly suited for long product life cycles. Microcontrollers are the key enablers of energy efficiency in automotive engineering.
OEM manufacturers and automobile manufacturing companies require these kinds of MCUs for maintaining their own applications and for adding new features in the future.
Cortus microcontrollers offer designers of embedded systems and applications a balance between performance, power, security, total system cost and energy efficiency. These are not just MCU chips, but are comprehensive solutions from chip to product with a fully featured Software Development Kit (SDK), which provides full support through to the final product development stage.
Cortus Lotus1 is a microcontroller designed for battery powered consumer products combining value, low voltage operation (allowing the use of a single cell battery), ultra-low power consumption (allowing the chip to be permanently connected to the battery with programmed or use an externally triggered wakeup), with a powerful set of peripherals. It is a perfect economic solution for sensing and small motor control applications.
Cortus Lotus2 is the first of a large family of Automotive MCUs covering a wide range of applications such as body electronics control, chassis control, infotainment connection module, HAVC, windows, door, sunroof management, powertrain, motor control and more. It is compliant with ISO26262 ASIL-B and/or IEC 61508, AEC Q100/1 certifications. Other members of the family will also be ISO26262 ASIL-D compliant with an Evita full HSM.
About Cortus S.A.S.
Cortus is a fabless semiconductor manufacturing group headquartered in Mauguio (near Montpellier, France). Cortus provides IC devices from a simple MCU to a high-end SoC using its own broad IP portfolio which includes processors 32/64 bits (Cortus ISA and RISC-V ISA), digital, analog, mixed-signal, RF and security IP; in many areas such as Automotive, IoT/NB-IoT, Edge Computing and Industrial. Over 13 billion devices have been manufactured containing Cortus processors and IP.
Cortus is a core contributing member and board member of the DASH7 Alliance. Cortus is also a member of the Wi-SUN alliance. Cortus is a Platinum Founding Member of the RISC-V Foundation and strategic member of RISC-V International.
Press contact:
Cortus S.A.S.
Company Contact: Olivier Demoly
Director of Marketing and Business DevelopmentTel: +33 4.30.96.70.00 – Email: olivier.demoly@cortus.com |
Sep 12, 2022
Cortus, an innovative French fabless semiconductor company today announces the availability of its secure low power RISC-V microcontrollers (MCUs) that address consumer products and automotive electronics for body control and driving control. These MCUs offer better cost and power efficiency than competitive MCU alternatives. Additional MCUs will come in the next few months designed for specific customers creating a product family dedicated to the automotive industry.
Cortus now offers the possibility to its customers and partners to have direct access to Cortus silicon or its expertise in mixed-signal ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) / SoC (System-on-Chip) design for turnkey solutions from Idea to Silicon using Cortus’ own large IP portfolio including processors (Cortus ISA and RISC-V ISA), digital, analog, RF and security building blocks. All Cortus products are fully supported by a comprehensive Software Development Environment.
The RISC-V architecture is becoming the first choice for many SoC designers. The use of this ISA will grow exponentially in the coming years.
Cortus positions itself as a RISC-V leader offering solutions from a simple MCU to a high-end, high performance multi-core SoC. During the past six years, Cortus has designed and continues to design various RISC-V solutions for different customers and applications such as Satellite, Civil Nuclear, Security, Banking, Wireless, IoT, Automotive and Edge Computing.
Christophe Genevois, Director of Operations at Cortus, said: “We are very proud of the great achievement of the Cortus teams to successfully deliver complex RISC-V SoC designs and to deliver chips to our customers.”
Dr. Re:my Astier, Embedded Software Expert for Nuclear at Framatome, said: “We are very pleased to collaborate with Cortus to develop a Civil Nuclear SoC based on RISC-V ISA. This solution is now available and operational to fully meet our constraints and requirements in terms of safety certifications for IEC-60880 and IEC-62566. We are also happy to have a reliable partner with the capacity to accompany us in all our future projects.”
About Cortus S.A.S.
Cortus is a fabless semiconductor manufacturer company headquartered in Mauguio (near Montpellier, France). Cortus provides IC devices from a simple MCU to a high-end SoC based around its broad IP portfolio which includes processor, digital, analog, mixed-signal, RF and security IP; in many areas such as Automotive, IoT/NB-IoT, Edge Computing and Industrial. Over 12 billion devices have been manufactured containing Cortus processors and IP. Cortus is a core contributing member and board member of the DASH7 Alliance.
Cortus is also a member of the Wi-SUN alliance. Cortus is a Platinum Founding Member of the RISC-V Foundation and strategic member of RISC-V International.
Press contact:
Cortus S.A.S.
Company Contact: Olivier Demoly
Director of Marketing and Business Development
Tel: +33 4.30.96.70.00
Mar 25, 2019
Cortus Announces the General Availability of a RISC-V Processor Family – from Low End Embedded Controller to 64 bit Processor with Floating Point.
As part of the Cortus IC Design Service offering, Cortus announces the general availability of a complete range of RISC-V processors. These are now available for design-in in customer ASIC designs implemented by the experienced teams at Cortus.
Michael Chapman (President and CEO) said “I am delighted to see so many products using the RISC-V ISA, our customers are embracing this architecture of the future. RISC-V is becoming a real industry standard!”
The whole gamut of application needs is covered by 6 processor cores. The range starts with a low gate count, very low power 32 bit CPU core – the APS1V (RV32EMC). A more powerful, but equally low power CPU, the APS3V (RV32IMC) comes next. If a multi-core solution is necessary the APS5V (RV32IMAC) is available. If floating point is needed then the single precision FPS6V (RV32IMACF) can be used or the FPS8V (RV32GC) for double precision calculations. The last member of the family is a high performance 64 bit processor with double precision floating point and MMU: the FPS69V (RV64GC).
Duc Nguyen Huu (General Manager) said “Our customers and partners are benefiting from our experience with processor design and I am proud of these RISC-V ISA implementations, which are creating real value in the ASICs we are designing for our customers. With over 4 billion devices with Cortus technology inside our customers enjoy real success with us.”
These processors have already been implemented in customer projects in the aerospace, satellite, industrial and automotive sectors. A complete development ecosystem is available, including graphical environment, compiler, debugger real time operating systems and tools. Billions of chips containing Cortus IP (including processor IP) have been manufactured based on the successful Cortus Ecosystem.
About Cortus S.A.S.:
Cortus is a leading semiconductor, embedded systems and IoT solutions company, headquartered in Mauguio (Montpellier area, South of France).
Cortus provides a full range of IC design services based around their broad IP portfolio which includes digital, analog and RF IP; prototyping and verification solutions in many areas such as SIM cards, bank cards, ePassports, automotive sensors, image processing, industrial controllers, M2M controllers, secure microcontrollers, sensors, smart meters, wireless, touch screen controllers and IoT devices. Over 50 companies have licensed Cortus cores and over 4 billion devices have been manufactured containing Cortus processors and IP.
Cortus is a Founding Platinum Member of the RISC-V Foundation.
For further information please contact:
Duc Nguyen Huu
Jun 22, 2018
XTERCONNECT and GENIATECH having already developed a range of professional industrial IoT solutions using LoRa technology have entered into a Strategic and Industrial Partnership with CORTUS to develop and deliver a range of secure products and solutions for IoT using its CIoT25 Low Power Internet of Things Platform based on Dash7 technology.
XTERCONNECT, is an IoT innovation and solutions company based in southern France, committed to developing secure IoT solutions, easy to integrate with partner legacy or new sensors and devices, as well as having its own range of IoT gateways and sensors allowing them all to seamlessly connect to any IoT network and cloud platform. XTERCONNECT innovate and develop IoT solutions primarily for industrial IoT customers in partnership with
GENIATECH, its strategic partner and investor.
GENIATECH is a Shenzhen based company and global ODM / OEM manufacturer for technology, focusing on IoT and Media and supplying innovative solutions for hardware and software designs based on all operating systems. CORTUS is a leading semiconductor and embedded systems solutions company providing a large range of embedded systems solutions including HW, SW, processors (including RISC-V ISA processors), digital, analog and RF IP, prototyping and verification solutions across different market segments. In 2018 Cortus has successfully completed its new CIoT25 Low Power Internet of Things Platform based on Dash7 Alliance technology and remain key driver and promoter of Dash7A technology.
The strategic partnership will focus on truly addressing each segment of the entire IoT value chain from Dash7A and security at semiconductor level through products and solutions based on it, to global distribution through strategic partnerships, ensuring that IoT customers worldwide benefit from delivery of what we define as SSASS (Secure, Seamless, Affordable & Scalable Solutions).
The management of XTERCONNECT said: “We are very pleased by what the Cortus platform based on Dash7 technology will offer, not only addressing customer needs but focusing on making a more secure IoT for industrial and residential markets, and we are excited to enter into this strategic long term partnership.
GENIATECH President Mr Fang said: “Based on our joint skillset, experience and approach to the market, together with the ability to enable value across the entire IoT chain, we believe we can propose the right solutions for our customers.
Michael Chapman, President of CORTUS said: We welcome both Geniatech and Xterconnect as strategic industrial partners and are pleased to enable development of new products & solutions to scale our platform and Dash7 technology to an industrial level.
For more information please visit:
XTERCONNECT www.xterconnect.com
GENIATECH www.geniatech.com
CORTUS dev.www.cortus.com.web09.ovea.com
Or contact us at:
info@xterconnect.com
emily.zhou@geniatech.com
info@cortus.com
