Nvidia GPUs contain dozens of RISC-V cores, one runs much of the graphics driver

Nvidia uses 10-40 RISC-V cores per GPU for power management, video and security. Since 2018 one core handles much of the graphics driver, replacing the proprietary Falcon controller. Nvidia estimates over a billion such cores shipped in 2024.

• Each Nvidia GPU has 10 to 40 RISC-V cores depending on model
• RISC-V core replaced Falcon with 3x performance at 2x area
• Cores are cryptographically protected: tampering blocks GPU firmware
• Nvidia estimates over 1 billion RISC-V cores shipped in 2024