How "RVfpga: Understanding Computer Architecture" will give under-grads real-world skills

By _Imagination Blog

February 3, 2022

Take a look through the academic materials now available about RISC-V. You will find a wealth of information around SoC creation, inventing special instructions, security and numerous implementation enhancements. But what about the vital “Start Here” materials – the foundation needed by teachers to bring the fundamentals of computer architecture to life?

RVfpga contains the relatively unglamorous beginnings of the education process. Every computer science, computer engineering, and electronic engineering student needs a solid foundation in computer architecture. It’s an area that touches more fresh minds than almost any other technical subject, yet many university course curricula in this area offer content that is often years old, and therefore outdated. Even more concerning is that it is usually based on a simplified core or an obfuscated; (encrypted) “black box”.

One example of such material says that “Labs are based on a simple 5-stage processor for education purposes”. Surely we owe it to our students to teach real-world solutions? It may be slightly harder, but using real-world implementations programmed by industry-standard software development tools is a much better way to set up our future graduates for success in their careers. Put simply, why have “a simplified core” when you can have a real one? In the same spirit, why use restricted “free version” development tools when you can use industrially-proven tools?

This is the fundamental principle that underpins the Imagination approach to our university courses.

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