Here’s the translation:
The SiFive HiFive Premier P550 platform hosts the first developer preview of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 on RISC-V architecture.
Red Hat has officially announced the release of a preliminary developer version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 10 aimed at systems based on the RISC-V architecture, resulting from a strategic collaboration with SiFive, a pioneering company in the development of this open technology. The binary image, documentation, and source code have been available since June 1, 2025, for those with an account at developers.redhat.com.
The selected platform for this preview is the SiFive HiFive Premier P550, a development kit that has become a reference within the RISC-V ecosystem due to its robustness and compatibility with emerging enterprise solutions. With this move, Red Hat is taking an unusual step among major enterprise software providers: supporting an emerging instruction set architecture (ISA) with strong momentum in the open innovation space.
What is RISC-V and why does it matter?
RISC-V is an instruction set architecture based on the RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computing) approach, characterized by its open and extensible nature. Unlike proprietary architectures such as x86 or ARM, RISC-V can be used, adapted, and manufactured by any entity without the need for licenses. This has opened the door to a new generation of customizable hardware, especially in sectors like IoT, embedded devices, consumer electronics, and more recently, servers.
In this context, Red Hat has decided to commit to the evolution of RISC-V as part of its mission to promote the development of open-source software in open hardware environments. This advancement also aligns with the company’s collaborative philosophy and its investment in CentOS Stream, the base project for the next generation of RHEL.
A testing environment to evaluate RISC-V in real workloads
The developer preview of RHEL 10 is not just a technical demonstration; it is an invitation for potential clients and developers to evaluate the viability of RISC-V in real enterprise scenarios. According to the company, this version is targeted at both users studying the use of RISC-V in traditional infrastructures and those looking to enhance edge or embedded applications.
In addition to the system binary image (less than 3 GB), Red Hat has released the source code tarball (under 15 GB) that includes its implementation of the Linux kernel 6.12, as well as contributions to the upstream made to date. This serves as a valuable resource for the developer community interested in creating RISC-V-based solutions.
The documentation also provides detailed instructions on how to prepare the hardware before launching RHEL, thereby facilitating setup in the specific environment of the HiFive Premier P550. Red Hat emphasizes that it has not validated this version on any other RISC-V hardware, meaning developments on other platforms are not yet officially supported.
A collaboration model through CentOS
In line with its strategy for transparent development, Red Hat has confirmed that the foundation of this RISC-V version comes from CentOS Stream 10, the community project that serves as a reference for future RHEL. The company is working with the CentOS ISA Special Interest Group (SIG) to release the complete source code of this initiative. More details will be released soon on the CentOS blog.
With this launch, Red Hat aims to encourage the free software community to actively contribute to the RISC-V ecosystem while also exploring its applicability in corporate, industrial, and scientific environments. According to the company, the synergy between open hardware and open-source enterprise software is one of the keys to the next generation of computing platforms.
Access to the preliminary version
To access the RHEL 10 preview files for RISC-V, you need to have an account on the Red Hat developer portal. The available files include:
- A detailed installation guide for the HiFive Premier P550 board.
- The binary image of the system (< 3 GB).
- The compressed source code (< 15 GB).
The download is available at: developers.redhat.com/products/rhel-riscv
For now, the company suggests that those interested in collaborating or following the project’s evolution join the CentOS Stream community, where the development of future versions will be centralized.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 for RISC-V not only represents a technological milestone but also serves as a clear example of how collaboration between industry and community can open new pathways for open computing. The integration of RISC-V into the RHEL ecosystem could redefine the future of enterprise software, offering greater transparency, flexibility, and control over infrastructure.
via: RedHat