RISC-V 64-bit Linux¶

This guide covers cross-compiling Pony programs from an x86-64 Linux host to RISC-V 64-bit Linux (glibc). These are the same steps ponyc’s CI uses to test RISC-V support.

Install the Cross-Toolchain¶

On Debian/Ubuntu, install the RISC-V cross-compiler and QEMU for testing:

sudo apt-get install gcc-10-riscv64-linux-gnu g++-10-riscv64-linux-gnu qemu-user

This provides the cross-compiler for building the Pony runtime and a sysroot at /usr/riscv64-linux-gnu/ containing the target’s libc and system libraries.

GCC version

The package name includes the GCC major version (e.g., gcc-10). Your distribution may offer a different version. Adjust the CC and CXX values in the commands below to match what you install.

Build the Cross-Compiled Runtime¶

The Pony runtime needs to be compiled for RISC-V. This requires the ponyc source tree with a full build environment. See the cross-compilation overview for the initial setup.

From the ponyc source directory:

make cross-libponyrt config=release \
  CC=riscv64-linux-gnu-gcc-10 \
  CXX=riscv64-linux-gnu-g++-10 \
  arch=rv64gc \
  cross_cflags="-march=rv64gc -mtune=rocket" \
  cross_lflags="-march=riscv64"

The output lands in build/rv64gc/release/.

Compile a Pony Program¶

Create a simple test program:

mkdir hello && cat > hello/main.pony << 'EOF'
actor Main
  new create(env: Env) =>
    env.out.print("Hello from RISC-V!")
EOF

Compile it for RISC-V:

PONYPATH=build/rv64gc/release ponyc \
  --triple=riscv64-unknown-linux-gnu \
  --cpu=generic-rv64 \
  --abi=lp64d \
  --features=+m,+a,+f,+d,+c \
  --link-arch=rv64gc \
  --sysroot=/usr/riscv64-linux-gnu \
  hello

This produces a hello binary in the current directory.

Verify with QEMU¶

Run the cross-compiled binary using QEMU user-mode emulation:

qemu-riscv64 -L /usr/riscv64-linux-gnu/lib/ ./hello

You should see:

Hello from RISC-V!

The -L flag tells QEMU where to find the target’s shared libraries.