The Chinese have developed a “super SIM card” for the Internet of Things: RISC-V core, 10 times more memory and NFC support
China Mobile has announced its upcoming “super SIM” CC2560A. This is the world’s first SIM card with a RISC-V core. In fact, the CC2560A is an IoT product that improves on all aspects of a traditional SIM card. The new device has more memory, better security algorithms, and new features such as NFC support.
With a single RISC-V core running at 120 MHz, the new SIM offers 10 times the data transfer speed of a standard SIM and about 2 times faster than current high-end super SIMs already in use in the IoT. The RISC-V SIM card’s 2.5 MB of built-in flash memory is also 10 times the capacity of a standard SIM card and twice as much as other super SIM cards.
Examples of how China Mobile’s super SIM card can be used include electronic student IDs, digital car keys, public transportation and other access control applications.
However, future innovations on a chip may not see the light of day. The fact is that the US government is trying to block China’s access to the RISC-V protocol.
