While the Orange Pi RV RISC-V SBC introduced at the Orange Pi Developer Conference 2024 last year is yet to be launched (should be up in a few days), the company has just launched the Orange Pi RV2 powered by the Ky X1 octa-core RISC-V SoC with a 2 TOPS AI accelerator, up to 8GB LPDD4X, optional eMMC flash moduyle, two M.2 sockets for storeage, dual gigabit Ethernet, WiFi 5, and more.
While RISC-V has made a lot of progress over the years, Linux RISC-V SBCs were often synonymous with relatively expensive hardware for developers, since software is often unsuitable for production, at least for applications using graphics. The Orange Pi RV2 addresses the cost issue since the octa-core RISC-V SBC sells for just $30 to $49.90 depending on the configuration.
Orange Pi RV2 specifications:
- SoC – Ky X1
- CPU – 8-core 64-bit RISC-V processor
- GPU – Not mentioned
- VPU – Not mentioned
- AI Accelerator – 2 TOPS
- System Memory – 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB LPDDR4X
- Storage
- Optional 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, or 128GB eMMC flash module
- 128Mbit (default) or 256Mbit SPI flash
- 2x M.2 M-Key sockets (PCIe 2.0 x2) for NVMe SSD (one 2280, the other 2230)
- MicroSD card slot (SDIO 3.0)
- Video Output
- HDMI 2.0 up to 1920×1440 @ 60 Hz
- 4-lane MIPI DSI connector
- Dual independent display support
- Camera I/F – 2x 4-lane MIPI CSI camera connector
- Audio
- 3.5mm headphone jack using ES8388 audio codec
- Audio output via HDMI port
- Networking
- 2x Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 ports via YT8531C-CA controller
- WiFi 5.0 and Bluetooth 5.0 LE via Ampak AP6256 module
- USB
- 3x USB 3.0 ports
- USB2.0 host/device port
- USB 2.0 host via 4-pin header
- Expansion
- 26-pin expansion header with GPIO, UART, I2C, SPI, PWM, etc.
- 2x M.2 (PCIe Gen2 x2) sockets for SSDs or other add-on modules
- Debugging – 3-pin (3.3V) serial debug header
- Misc
- BOOT, RESET, and Power buttons
- 2-pin connector for RTC battery (1.25mm pitch)
- Power Supply
- 5V/5A via USB Type-C port
- 2-pin connector 5V/1A output; can also be used as a fan connector.
- Dimensions – 89 x 56 mm
Orange Pi says the RV2 SBC supports Ubuntu 24.04, but a Chinese website also mentions OpenHarmony 5.0 OS support with DeepSeek R1 (distilled) models. I could not find any information about the Ky X1 SoC. The product page for the board mentions the single-core integer performance of the RISC-V core is 130% of that of the Arm Cortex-A55 (at the same frequency, I assume), while the power consumption is only 80% of the Cortex-A55 core.
Despite the presence of HDMI and MIPI DSI display interfaces and two camera inputs, there’s no mention of the 3D GPU or VPU for hardware video encoding or decoding, so it’s unclear whether those are present in the X1 SoC. Orange Pi also tells us target applications include NAS, commercial electronic products, intelligent robots, smart home, industrial control, and edge computing, none of which necessarily require a GPU or VPU. Sadly, the documentation section on the product page is only a placeholder, and all icons pointing to empty folders on Google Drive for now.
Provided software support is adequate, the Orange Pi RV2 could replace Raspberry Pi 3 or 4 boards in headless applications at a much lower cost depending on the use case since it already comes with two Ethernet ports and M.2 sockets that would require additional expansion HATs or USB dongles on the Raspberry Pi SBCs.
Three variants of the Orange Pi RV2 are available:
- 2GB RAM for $30.00
- 4GB RAM for $39.90
- 8GB RAM for $49.90
You’ll find all three models on Aliexpress (note some adblockers will remove that link), and the Orange Pi RV2 is also listed on Amazon, but currently unavailable.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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