The open source RISC-V processor architecture has received a boost from the US-China trade and technology wars, as a possible alternative to ARM designs if Chinese companies are restricted in their access to the Softbank-owned firm’s IP. When Huawei was initially placed on the USA’s ‘entity list’, which means US firms have to obtain a licence to supply the Chinese company, ARM said it would break ties with the vendor, even though Huawei had recently given a huge boost to ARM’s server market ambitions by launching its own infrastructure chips. It will be interesting to see whether Huawei is still able to deal with ARM China, a local joint venture set up specifically to give Chinese firms independent access to…