NASA taps SiFive and Microchip for its High-Performance Spaceflight Computer (HPSC)

SiFive has announced that its RISC-V-compatible CPU cores will be the backbone of NASA's new High-Performance Spaceflight Computer (HPSC). The new chip will be developed under a three-year contract between NASA and SiFive and Microchip.

Announced in Chinese media

Microchip has been caught on the hop after the Chinese media announced that its government had approved its $8.35 billion bid to buy Microsemi.

Military chipmaker to be bought

Microchip is writing a cheque to buy Microsemi which is the most significant US commercial supplier of military and aerospace semiconductor equipment, for about $8.35 billion.

Downturn imminent