Customizing an Existing RISC-V Processor
In the previous post, we considered how you could create an optimized ISA for a domain-specific processor core by profiling software and experimenting with adding/removing instructions. Using the open RISC-V ISA can be a great starting point for a processor that combines application-specific capabilities and access to portable software.
The old-fashioned way to modify the instruction set would be to firstly manually modify the instruction set simulator (ISS) to change the ISA, and then to update the SDK to reflect the new set of target instructions. This requires an extensive amount of manual work with associated technical risks. The resulting SDK will almost certainly need to make any custom instructions available as intrinsics or as inline assembler code. The alternative of modifying and verifying the compiler is costly in effort, but the end result is much better for the software developers. Similarly, if a processor is extended, traditionally it would be necessary to modify the microarchitecture by editing the RTL and then verify it against the ISS as the golden reference.
To read the full article, click here
Related Semiconductor IP
- Flexible Pixel Processor Video IP
- Bluetooth Low Energy 6.0 Digital IP
- MIPI SWI3S Manager Core IP
- Ultra-low power high dynamic range image sensor
- Neural Video Processor IP
Related Blogs
- So soon? Lenovo announces ARM- and x86-based tablets. An early skirmish in the war for PC processor sockets?
- Intel's First 14nm Chip NOT an x86 Processor
- Apple and The Road Ahead to Building an x86 Processor
- Have you checked the hidden costs of deploying an open source RISC-V core?
Latest Blogs
- Breaking the Silence: What Is SoundWire‑I3S and Why It Matters
- What It Will Take to Build a Resilient Automotive Compute Ecosystem
- The Blind Spot of Semiconductor IP Sales
- Scalable I/O Virtualization: A Deep Dive into PCIe’s Next Gen Virtualization
- UEC-LLR: The Future of Loss Recovery in Ethernet for AI and HPC