Qualcomm, Google partner to make RISC-V chip for wearable devices

Chip designer Qualcomm said on Tuesday it is partnering with Alphabet's Google to make wearable devices like smartwatches using chips based on RISC-V technology.

RISC-V, pronounced as "risk five," is an open-source technology that competes with costly proprietary technology from British chip designer Arm Holdings.

RISC-V can be used as a key ingredient for anything from a smartphone chip to advanced processors for artificial intelligence.

U.S. companies are still actively working to advance RISC-V based technology despite concerns expressed by lawmakers that China is exploiting a culture of open collaboration among American companies to advance its own semiconductor industry.