StarFive VisionFive Computer Vision-Focused RISC-V Single-Board Computer Goes on Sale for $179

ALLNET China has begun accepting orders for the StarFive VisionFive Developer Kit, a single-board computer built around the SiFive U74 64-bit RISC-V processor core — offering an alternative for those planning on using the now-discontinued SiFive HiFive Unmatched or BeagleV Starlight.

StarFive unveiled the VisionFive V1 late last year, offering a low-cost development platform built around the company's computer-vision-focused RISC-V system-on-chip. The device was designed to fill the gap left by the cancellation of the BeagleV Starlight, an open-hardware board built around the same system-on-chip with a $149 price point — and when SiFive announced it was ceasing production of its HiFive Unmatched due to supply chain issues, interest in the VisionFive only increased.

Now, ALLNET China — the Shenzhen-based arm of Germany's ALLNET — has opened orders for a VisionFive V1 Starter Kit. The hardware at its heart as just as promised: The JH7100 system-on-chip with SiFive U74 dual-core 64-bit CPU core running at 1GHz and implementing the RV64GC version of the RISC-V instruction set architecture, a Tensilica VP6 vision-oriented digital signal processor (DSP) running at 600MHz, a NVIDIA Deep-Learning Accelerator (NVDLA) engine with 2,048 MACs at 800MHz, and a neural network coprocessor with 1,024 MACs at 500MHz.

On top of this the board includes 8GB of LPDDR4 memory, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity, Bluetooth 4.2 with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) support, two MIPI Camera Serial Interface (CSI) and one MIPI Display Serial Interface (DSI) port supporting up to 4k resolution at 30 frames per second, an HDMI 1.4 video output with 1080p60 support, hardware H.264/H.265 video decoding at 4k60 or 2k30 dual-stream, a dual-channel image signal processor (ISP) supporting 4k30 per channel, a hardware JPEG codec, an ultra-low-power voice activity detector/trigger, four USB 3.0 ports, gigabit Ethernet, microSD, 3.5mm audio, and a 40-pin Raspberry Pi-style general-purpose input/output (GPIO) header.

At the time of writing ALLNET was selling the board exclusively in "Starter Kit" form, a bundle which includes the board itself, a heatsink and fan cooling assembly, and a 32GB microSD card pre-flashed with a Fedora Linux operating system image. An "Advanced Kit" was listed but not available to order, offering the same as the Starter Kit plus a power supply, USB Type-A to Type-C cable, and an acrylic case.

Before rushing out to order, however, ALLNET has a warning: "The hardware is experimental," a message repeated on the product page no fewer than three times explains, "and strictly for engineering and development purposes only." Work on documentation, however, is well underway, with a quick-start guide and technical reference manual already published to the RVspace website.

Interested parties can now find out more and order the Starter Kit for $179 from ALLNET China.