Getting Arm and RISC-V server platforms right is hard. Getting it wrong delays launches, blocks distribution certification, and creates a maintenance burden your team will feel for years. Ask our experienced engineers to assist you with the lowest layers of your software stack so your team can focus on workloads, differentiation, and the customers who depend on them.
The problem: complex server platforms, fragile foundations
New Arm and RISC-V server platforms face a consistent set of challenges:
Platform bring-up complexity: Making OpenSBI, Trusted Firmware-A, UEFI/EDK2, ACPI, and Linux work together.
Distribution requirements: Use standardized boot flow and ensuring your platform support is upstream so that major Linux distributions (Red Hat, Ubuntu, Debian, etc.) can support your hardware without a private fork.
Security and trust: Implementing secure boot, firmware update paths, and signing flows across system firmware and the BMC.
Manageability integration: Integrating OpenBMC or a commercial BMC stack with host firmware, sensors, power, and network so operations teams can manage and service the platform from day one.
Long-term maintenance: Every out-of-tree patch and private fork increases technical debt and the cost of future kernel and firmware updates.
Engineers that are busy fighting low-level firmware or trying to upstream support for
your platform are not building the features that differentiate your platform in the
market.
Our deep domain expertise
We live in the lowest layers of the stack for Arm and RISC-V servers. Our engineers have
hands-on experience with:
Low-level firmware and boot stacks
OpenSBI and platform firmware for RISC-V
Trusted Firmware-A and related Arm firmware components
UEFI/EDK2 and ACPI for standards-compliant boot
Linux kernel and system enablement
Board and SoC support for Arm and RISC-V
PCIe, storage, networking, and accelerator enablement
NUMA support
Virtualization support
System management and BMC
OpenBMC platform bring-up and customization
Sensor, fan, and power policy integration
Host–BMC communication and orchestration
Distribution and upstream collaboration
Preparing and submitting patches to upstream communities
Aligning platform support with distribution requirements
Designing for long-term maintainability
This is what we do every day — on real hardware, with real deadlines.
RISCstar's Approach to Linux Server Engineering
RISCstar integrates with your engineering team and takes joint responsibility for delivering a robust platform foundation:
Discovery and Architecture
We assess your firmware, and deployment model — identifying gaps, risks, and non-standard components across firmware, boot, BMC, and Linux.
Platform bring-up and Integration
We configure and integrate OpenSBI, Trusted Firmware-A, UEFI/EDK2, and ACPI, bring up Linux on your hardware, and enable system manageability through BMC integration.
Upstreaming and distribution alignment
We prepare patches to upstream coding standards, work with communities to get your platform accepted, and ensure major Linux distributions can enable your hardware cleanly.
Validation and Hardening
We exercise boot flows, power states, and recovery paths, validate secure boot chains, and stress-test platform features using industry-standard CI/CD techniques.
Deployment and long-term maintenance & support
We document platform enablement workflows, train your team on ongoing updates and upstream sync, and offer continued engineering support as your platform evolves.
Why RISCstar?
Bringing an Arm or RISC-V server platform to market requires expertise that spans firmware, kernel, BMC, and distribution ecosystems and the upstream credibility to make it stick. Our engineers bring:
Deep specialization in Arm and RISC-V server platforms this is our focus, not a sideline
Upstream-first mindset: We design your platform support to live upstream, so you’re not stuck with ever increasing technical debt burden
End-to-end low-level expertise: We own the bottom of the stack so you can focus on workloads using it
Established relationships with upstream communities and major Linux distribution teams
A track record of delivering complex server platforms on time and within budget
RISCstar, a Partner For Success
If you have:
an Arm or RISC-V server platform that needs firmware and Linux enablement,
a BMC or OpenBMC integration that isn’t quite there yet, or
a platform you’re struggling to get accepted by upstream or major distributions,
We would love to help.
Contact us to discuss your Linux Server Platform Engineering needs
RISCstar will help bring your Arm and RISC-V server platforms to market faster with a
rock-solid firmware and Linux foundation.
