RISCY-V02: 16-bit RISC-V CPU fits 6502 footprint, challenges 1970s design dogma
A developer built RISCY-V02, a 16-bit 2-cycle RISC-V-inspired CPU designed to fit within the same transistor budget as the classic 6502 processor. The project uses pipelining, barrel shifters, and 8x 16-bit registers to argue RISC principles could have outperformed the 6502's microcode PLAs and complex addressing modes in 1970s home computers with ~1 MHz DRAM constraints. This challenges the historical assumption that the 6502 represented a 'local optimum' for its era, suggesting alternative architectures were viable. The developer created the design with assistance from Anthropic's Claude AI model.
BREAKTHROUGHS3/6/2026