Key Takeaways
- Framework is partnering with DeepComputing to bring a RISC-V mainboard for its laptops to the market.
- The first board will feature a StarFive JH7110 processor with four U74 RISC-V cores.
- Unfortuantely, Framework did not announce price and availability.
You won’t find Framework products among the list of some of the best laptops that you can buy. But that doesn’t mean you should ignore this brand by any means. While most of the technology we buy is destined for landfills after just a few years of use thanks to the way they are constructed, Framework strives to ensure that its laptops are the complete opposite, with repairability high on the list of the brand’s priorities.
Related
Best upgradeable laptops in 2024
Take a look at these great laptops that you can upgrade yourself after purchase
Of course, that means you’re not always going to get the sleekest laptops from this company, but it has done a great job of keeping up with the times, even recently offering a new selection that are packed with Intel Core Ultra processors and improved displays. With that said, Framework is now announcing its support for RISC-V, with plans to make a board available sometime in the near future.
Framework is bringing something different to the table
The mainboard is being made in partnership with DeepComputing, a brand known for its pioneering spirit behind RISC-V products. While consumers won’t be able to get their hands on the product just yet, it appears that DeepComputing is showing off a demo of the board in action during next week’s RISC-V Summit that will be held in Europe.
While there have been products before, this could be an important moment for the platform, as it gets more exposure, thrusting into a more public space. Although RISC-V isn’t quite that well known today, it’s entirely possible that it will someday end up competing against juggernauts like Intel and AMD. And even if it doesn’t, since the platform is open, this leaves a channel open so that folks can create and customize their own processors if needed.
As you can imagine, there’s a lot of potential here, and the first board to come out of Framework will house a StarFive JH7110 processor with four U74 RISC-V cores. Of course, this is just the first step, so don’t expect this combination to blow Intel and AMD solutions out of the water just yet. Framework is very clear about this point in its press release.
For that reason, the board’s offerings will be relatively primitive, and will come with memory soldered on, along with microSD and eMMC as the only storage options. But what’s cool is that if you already have a Framework Laptop 13 or Cooler Master Mainboard case, you’ll be able to pop this board in and get things up and running with very little effort.
So if you’re interested, you might want to sign up on Framework’s website to be notified of when this board actually launches. Of course, key information like pricing and when this will actually be available are still mysteries. But let’s hope that this board won’t cost a hefty sum, so that those that want to tinker with something new will get that chance.