Developers and tech enthusiasts always think low-power devices are limited to basic tasks. However, the Raspberry Pi RP2350’s Hazard3 RISC-V microcontroller has much potential due to the RISC-V architecture.
That’s why Jesse Taube reversed this theory, successfully using a Linux distro on a Raspberry Pi RP2350. After Jesse Taube succeeded in booting a minimal distro on the Raspberry Pi RP2350, it can bring a revolution in microcontroller applications.
Jesse Taube just hit a huge milestone for the RISC-V community. So what’s so special about the Raspberry Pi RP2350 microcontroller, and why booting a Linux distro in it is a big thing for the microcontroller revolution? Let’s find out:
What is so Special In Raspberry Pi RP2350’s Hazard3 RISC-V?
The Raspberry Pi RP2350 is a quad-core microcontroller with 2 ARM Cortex-M33 and 2 Hazard3 RISC-V cores. Luke Wren and the Hazard3 cores, specially designed for the RISC-V, optimize performance through its three-stage pipeline system.
Combining different cores enhances the microcontroller’s flexibility in adding new applications. However, microcontrollers find it challenging to boot a Linux distro as they have limited sources and a limited Memory Management Unit (MMU).
How Jesse Taube Booted Raspberry Pi RP2350?
Firstly, Jesse Taube has overcome the low memory issue by adding pseudo-static RAM (16 MB) and off-chip flash storage (16 MB). Moreover, the microcontroller has low storage, so Taube loaded a lightweight Linux distro that he can use in the 520 KB of SRAM.
Why Booting Linux in Raspberry Pi RP2350 is Huge?
Jesse Taube has opened up a whole new revolution for microcontrollers who can do much more than small tasks. It will definitely encourage developers to discover microcontrollers’ potential. Overall, Jesse Taube did a fantastic job highlighting the potential and maturity of RISC-V architecture.
