As you may have heard, Ubuntu 25.10 will only run on RISC-V devices with RVA23 profile extensions, a change made to allow the distro to take full advantage of newer hardware capabilities without backwards-looking compromise.

But if you’re worried that Ubuntu’s pivot to the RISC-V RVA23 profile would leave you without hardware to run it on (since, right now, no RVA23 devices are available) you can relax a little as a slate of RVA23-compatible chips are due to launch in 2026 – and some this year.

Given the lack of hardware on sale right now, some have questioned the move by Canonical. Yet, it didn’t happen in a vacuum. Its engineers have access to development hardware and close partnerships with silicon vendors. Not on sale doesn’t mean they don’t exist.