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Nov 28, 2023

A first look at Allwinner D1 Linux RISC

Last year, we reported that Allwinner was working on an Alibaba XuanTie C906

Last year, we reported that Allwinner was working on an Alibaba XuanTie C906 based RISC-V processor that would be found in low-cost Linux capable single board computers selling for as low as $12.

The good news is that we won't have to wait much longer as Allwinner D1 RISC-V processor is slated for an announcement next week, and a business card-sized SBC, also made by Allwinner, will become available in May. Some of the information is already available to developers in China, and CNX Software managed to obtain information about the Linux RISC-V SBC and Allwinner D1 processor.

Let's check out the board first which comes with the following specifications:

That's a pretty interesting board for smart displays, IP cameras, smart speakers, and other applications that do not require fast I/Os nor 3D graphics accelerators.

Allwinner should provide support for Debian-based Tina OS distribution, but usually, it's using an ancient Linux kernel, so companies like Sipeed plan to send boards to developers, and I’ve also been told linux-sunxi community would get a board to get started with evaluation and development.At this stage, it appears Allwinner does not offer the Allwinner D1 chips to third parties but sells them the board directly, possibly because of the lack of supplies. This may change in a few months.

We also have more details about the processor itself.

Allwinner D1 specifications:

You might say "Right, CNXSoft, the information about the processor and SBC is cool and all that, but what I really want to know is what about the logo on Allwinner D1 board?"

The good news is that I’ve got an answer for that too!

It comes from 哪吒 (Nezha) which, as explained by Fandom, is:

the main protagonist in Investiture of the Gods and one of the supporting characters in the 16th-century Chinese classic novel Journey to the West by the late Wu Cheng’en, and its multiple adaptations. He is a protection deity and the son of Li Jing and Lady Yin.

There were also movie adaptations, including a recent 2019 animated film whose character is shown in the photo above.

Anyway, we may learn more next week with an official announcement and some information about pricing as well. This promises to be an interesting year for affordable Linux RISC-V SBC's as the BeagleV development board is also slated to become available very soon.

Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.

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