Baochip-1x
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 12 of 28 microcontrollers by recommenders
People recommend it as an open, security-focused RISC-V chip with an MMU and strong hardware security peripherals. The most common caveat is weak low-power numbers.
People recommend it as an open, security-focused RISC-V chip with an MMU and strong hardware security peripherals. The most common caveat is weak low-power numbers.
17 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 15
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 88%
Recommended in 6 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 15 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 7.5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 6 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Open, security-focused hardware design
“microscope inspectable processors being launched by tiny companies that are focused on security and privacy”
Comment from 17 Aug 2026 in “A 3rd World Embedded Engineer Responds to "RISC-V They Should Have Known Better"” “Baochip also has an exceedingly capable set of hardware security peripherals.”
Comment from 6 Mar 2026 in “Xous security focused open source on 22nm custom silicon” “Very nice development towards more open hardware. And super powerful at that.”
Comment from 10 Mar 2026 in “Baochip-1x: A Mostly-Open, 22nm SoC for High Assurance Applications” - Comment from 14 Mar 2026 in “Baochip-1x: What It Is, Why I'm Doing It Now and How It Came About”
- Comment from 3 Jun 2026 in “ESP32-S31”
MMU in a small chip
“the Baochip-1x's key differentiating feature is the inclusion of a Memory Management Unit (MMU)”
Comment from 9 Mar 2026 in “Xous security focused open source on 22nm custom silicon” “It's pretty exciting to see a small chip with an MMU.”
Comment from 15 Mar 2026 in “Baochip-1x: What It Is, Why I'm Doing It Now and How It Came About” Custom CPU added to partner silicon
“This is wonderful! Also what a fantastic partnership that allowed adding a new CPU to that die.”
Comment from 14 Mar 2026 in “Baochip-1x: What It Is, Why I'm Doing It Now and How It Came About” “Adding your CPU to another company's silicon is a genius move, well done.”
Comment from 14 Mar 2026 in “Baochip-1x: What It Is, Why I'm Doing It Now and How It Came About” Specialized I/O processors
“Very much looking forward to play with the BIO functionality on the Baochips that I have ordered.”
Comment from 24 Mar 2026 in “BIO: The Bao I/O Coprocessor” “I love the specialized io processors.”
Comment from 14 Mar 2026 in “Baochip-1x: What It Is, Why I'm Doing It Now and How It Came About”
Other microcontrollers people recommend
The four most recommended other microcontrollers, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ESP32 | 190 | 35 | 84% | 12 | 5 yrs3 owners | Approved |
| Arduino boards | 81 | 73 | 53% | 12 | 16 yrs7 owners | — |
| Raspberry Pi Pico | 72 | 16 | 82% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Raspberry Pi RP2350 | 47 | 13 | 78% | 11 | — | Approved |
| Baochip-1xThis page | 15 | 2 | 88% | 6 | — | Approved |
What people said
23 of the 25 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“If you want a FOSS version btw, check out https://baochip.com/”
“with the OS on something like a baochip”
“microscope inspectable processors being launched by tiny companies that are focused on security and privacy”
“Probably the most open chip on the market”
“I can't realistically say Baochip is a viable option for me, an unprofessional tinkerer.”
“Obviously, it's going to be a stretch with multiple cycles per instructions, and a reduced instruction set.”
“the Baochip was one I didn't see coming. Very nice surprise!”
“Very much looking forward to play with the BIO functionality on the Baochips that I have ordered.”
“the Baochip doesn't have strong low power numbers”
“security chips are a treacherous slippery slope, no matter who controls them”
“Big fan of this project by the way.”
“It's pretty exciting to see a small chip with an MMU.”
“Adding your CPU to another company's silicon is a genius move, well done.”
“This looks like it could hold its own in many contexts.”
“This is wonderful! Also what a fantastic partnership that allowed adding a new CPU to that die.”
“I'm really onboard with the trusted computing aim!”
“I love the specialized io processors.”
“Very nice development towards more open hardware. And super powerful at that.”
“That sucks, but also probably the best vindication for their strategy”
“Their AES implementation uses old-school 2-share boolean masking”
“the Baochip-1x's key differentiating feature is the inclusion of a Memory Management Unit (MMU)”
“Baochip also has an exceedingly capable set of hardware security peripherals.”
“you should look into along with their Baochip”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.