Anybody have an idea if work has started on build of OpenBSD or FreeBSD for Risc-v? Would make an excellent chip for building super secure network edge devices or FreeNAS box.
I doubt it. RISC-V will probably be seen more as "truly free and open MIPS", and maybe eventually start growing CISC-ish extensions --- they will have to if they want to become/remain competitive with other more popular architectures. Even ARM has become more CISC-y with the introduction of more special-purpose instructions.
Would make an excellent chip for building super secure network edge devices or FreeNAS box.
That is where I think RISC-V will find a lot of adoption --- since many low-end routers and other network devices already use MIPS (and have barely adequate performance.)
Each of these will have a different timeline, but these days there are major markets which are more agnostic to ISA than they were five years ago.
The inherent commodity nature of designs and silicon based on a royalty-free ISA will drive down prices to the limits of design and material process, which will drive adoption.
The data and test already done by clearly show that the core premise of the advantages of risc is true. The chips are less complex because of the feature set and use less area and less power.