Onsemi picks up Codasip’s low-end RISC-V business for $14.5 million - Jon Peddie

The $14.5M price is the real signal. Codasip's low-end RISC-V division was a commercially unproven asset; Onsemi is acquiring architects and IP at distressed pricing, not buying a platform. Technically, this core will embed into SiC power management ICs and BMS controllers, replacing Cortex-M to eliminate ARM's per-unit licensing fee—at Onsemi's volume, saving $0.02 to $0.05 per chip translates to tens of millions in margin recovery. On compliance, RISC-V's open architecture structurally decouples the supply chain from ARM's UK-registered, US-designed single-vendor dependency, a geopolitical hedge extending well beyond any single market. Competitive dynamics: NXP's S32 and ST's STM32 carry a decade of ISO 26262-certified silicon; they won't react. The real pressure lands on TI's C2000 DSP in motor control, where RISC-V plus FPU now undercuts on price-performance. Over the next 18 months, expect two to three similar distressed-IP acquisitions by power semiconductor players, and ARM likely cutting embedded licensing fees 15 to 20 percent to defend its MCU stronghold. The 12-to-24-month trajectory: RISC-V in automotive remains a cost-optimization tool for L1-L2 applications, not a platform disruption. ASIL-D certification ecosystem maturity requires another three to five years.