Codasip and the EIC Accelerator: RISC-V Cores Sold to onsemi

RISC-V is an open instruction set for computer processors, an alternative to proprietary designs such as Arm's. Codasip, with its main engineering base in Brno in the Czech Republic and a German company in Munich, sold RISC-V processor designs to chipmakers and a tool, Codasip Studio, for customising them. It was one of the EU's flagship bets on European processor technology.

The European Innovation Council granted €2,499,999 to Codasip GmbH towards a €21.5 million project that ran from November 2022 to July 2025, and in 2024 selected Codasip again, for equity only, to develop processors using CHERI, a hardware security technology. In July 2025 Codasip's board began an expedited sale of all or parts of the company, saying it had been awarded over €119 million of EU and national grants and equity. On 4 May 2026 the US chipmaker onsemi acquired the RISC-V processor business, including the cores, Codasip Studio and its workforce, for "up to $14.5 million in cash", according to onsemi's quarterly report.

Where Codasip Stands Today

In April 2026 Codasip said it was divesting its lower-end RISC-V processor business and a broad licence to Studio to a US semiconductor company and refocusing on "cyber-resilient" chips, according to Embedded Computing Design. The buyer, onsemi, recorded the deal as a business combination. What remains of Codasip, led by chief executive Ron Black, now plans to sell chips built with CHERI for defence and critical infrastructure, according to XPU.pub, moving from licensing designs to selling silicon.

The Technology: Open Processors, Then Secure Ones

The EIC project designed "two complex out-of-order architectures", the A90 and A110, for AI, IoT and data-intensive work, and extended Codasip Studio with a new description language, CodAL 3.0, and a cloud version. It achieved automotive safety and cybersecurity certifications, ISO 26262 and ISO/SAE 21434, and a security pack with secure boot and a random number generator. CHERI, the focus of the second award, adds hardware checks that stop a class of memory-safety attacks.

What the EIC Project Promised, and What CORDIS Shows

The project promised high-end RISC-V processor IP and design tools for Europe. Its CORDIS report lists the designs, tool upgrades and certifications, and one shortfall: "The team did not complete the verified design of the A90 processor on time." It frames the work as contributing to Europe's "technological autonomy". By the time the report was filed, the company was for sale; ten months later its processor business belonged to a US company.

1. High-end RISC-V coresPartialA90 verified design late.
2. Design toolsDeliveredCodAL 3.0, cloud Studio.
3. Safety and security certificationDeliveredISO 26262, ISO/SAE 21434.
4. A European RISC-V supplierSoldProcessor business to onsemi.

The Money

Codasip said in July 2025 that it had been awarded over €119 million in grants and equity from EU bodies and national authorities, "most of which is still to be received", with an estimated €210 million in follow-on phases and €51 million more from new consortiums. It had about 250 staff. The price onsemi paid for the processor business, up to $14.5 million including $1.45 million withheld pending IP acceptance, is a small fraction of that public support.

What Is Not Known

Why Europe Should Care

Codasip was a centrepiece of Europe's push for its own processor technology, and the EU committed large sums to it. Its general-purpose RISC-V business now belongs to a US chipmaker. The EIC grant bought high-end designs; the company that was meant to take them to market no longer sells them.

The Verdict

Codasip and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on company statements, US regulatory filings, trade press and EU project data, linked throughout.