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OpenPOWER Microwatt
Microwatt is an open source soft processor core originally written in VHDL by Anton Blanchard at IBM, announced at the OpenPOWER Summit NA 2019 and published on GitHub in August 2019. It adheres to the Power ISA 3.0 instruction set and can be run on FPGA boards, booting Linux, MicroPython and Zephyr. Design Microwatt is a tiny 64-bit bi-endian scalar integer processor core, implementing a subset of the Power ISA 3.0 instruction set. It has 32× 64-bit general purpose registers and 32x 64-bit floating-point registers. It uses Wishbone for the memory interface. The initial development was done in a couple of months, included the entire integer processing functionality of the instruction set; the bare minimum to make it compliant, with no memory management unit (MMU) and no floating-point unit. Later additions to the implementation includes JTAG debugger interface, divider instructions, 16 KB instruction and 32 KB data caches, a non-hypervisor-capable MMU, pipelini ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
OpenPOWER Foundation
The OpenPOWER Foundation is a collaboration around Power ISA-based products initiated by IBM and announced as the "OpenPOWER Consortium" on August 6, 2013. IBM's focus is to open up technology surrounding their Power Architecture offerings, such as processor specifications, firmware, and software with a liberal license, and will be using a collaborative development model with their partners. The goal is to enable the server vendor ecosystem to build its own customized server, networking, and storage hardware for future data centers and cloud computing. The governing body around the Power ISA instruction set architecture, instruction set is now the OpenPOWER Foundation: IBM allows its patents to be royalty-free for Compliant implementations. Processors based on IBM's Intellectual property, IP can now be fabricated on any foundry and mixed with other hardware products of the integrator's choice. On August 20, 2019, IBM announced that the OpenPOWER Foundation would become part of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Libre-SOC
Libre-SOC was a project by Luke Leighton and other contributors to build a libre soft processor core, announced at the OpenPOWER Summit NA 2020. It adhered to the Power ISA 3.0 instruction set and could be run on field-programmable gate array boards, currently booting MicroPython and other bare-metal applications. The purpose of Libre-SOC was to be a system on a chip (SoC) with 3D and video capability built-in as part of the Power ISA, suitable for single-board computers, netbooks, IoT devices and other small form factors, while retaining a completely free and open design. On June 23, 2024 Luke Leighton described the project a"effectively terminated" History Libre-SOC began its life when Luke Leighton wanted there to be a completely free and libre system on a chip offering. He initially opted for a RISC-V base, but later switched to OpenPOWER when that seemed like a better fit for the project. It is the second processor written from scratch using the OpenPOWER ISA 3.0, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Register
''The Register'' (often also called El Reg) is a British Technology journalism, technology news website co-founded in 1994 by Mike Magee (journalist), Mike Magee and John Lettice. The online newspaper's Nameplate_(publishing), masthead Logo, sublogo is "''Biting the hand that feeds IT''." The publication's primary focus is information technology news and opinions. Situation Publishing Ltd is the site's publisher. Drew Cullen is an owner and Linus Birtles is the managing director. Andrew Orlowski was the executive editor before leaving the website in May 2019. History ''The Register'' was founded in London as an email newsletter called ''Chip Connection''. In 1998 ''The Register'' became a daily online news source. Magee left in 2001 to start competing publications ''The Inquirer'', and later the ''IT Examiner'' and ''TechEye''. In 2002, ''The Register'' expanded to have a presence in London and San Francisco, creating ''The Register USA'' at theregus.com through a joint ventu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Reference Design
A reference design is a technical design of a system that is intended for others to copy. It contains the essential elements of the system; however, third parties may enhance or modify the design as required. When discussing computer designs, the concept is generally known as a reference platform. The main purpose of reference design is to support companies in development of next generation products using latest technologies. The reference product is proof of the platform concept and is usually targeted for specific applications. Reference design packages enable a fast track to market thereby cutting costs and reducing risk in the customer's integration project. As the predominant customers for reference designs are original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), many reference designs are created by technology component vendors, whether hardware or software, as a means to increase the likelihood that their product will be designed into the OEM's product, giving them a competitive adv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
System On A Chip
A system on a chip (SoC) is an integrated circuit that combines most or all key components of a computer or Electronics, electronic system onto a single microchip. Typically, an SoC includes a central processing unit (CPU) with computer memory, memory, input/output, and computer data storage#Secondary storage, data storage control functions, along with optional features like a graphics processing unit (GPU), Wi-Fi connectivity, and radio frequency processing. This high level of integration minimizes the need for separate, discrete components, thereby enhancing Performance per watt, power efficiency and simplifying device design. High-performance SoCs are often paired with dedicated memory, such as LPDDR, and flash storage chips, such as Universal Flash Storage, eUFS or eMMC, which may be stacked directly on top of the SoC in a Package on a package, package-on-package (PoP) configuration or placed nearby on the motherboard. Some SoCs also operate alongside specialized chips, such ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Free Software
Free software, libre software, libreware sometimes known as freedom-respecting software is computer software distributed open-source license, under terms that allow users to run the software for any purpose as well as to study, change, distribute it and any adapted versions. Free software is a matter of liberty, not price; all users are legally free to do what they want with their copies of a free software (including profiting from them) regardless of how much is paid to obtain the program.Selling Free Software (GNU) Computer programs are deemed "free" if they give end-users (not just the developer) ultimate control over the software and, subsequently, over their devices. The right to study and modify a computer program entails that the source code—the preferred ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scala (programming Language)
Scala ( ) is a strongly statically typed high-level general-purpose programming language that supports both object-oriented programming and functional programming. Designed to be concise, many of Scala's design decisions are intended to address criticisms of Java. Scala source code can be compiled to Java bytecode and run on a Java virtual machine (JVM). Scala can also be transpiled to JavaScript to run in a browser, or compiled directly to a native executable. When running on the JVM, Scala provides language interoperability with Java so that libraries written in either language may be referenced directly in Scala or Java code. Like Java, Scala is object-oriented, and uses a syntax termed '' curly-brace'' which is similar to the language C. Since Scala 3, there is also an option to use the off-side rule (indenting) to structure blocks, and its use is advised. Martin Odersky has said that this turned out to be the most productive change introduced in Scala 3. Unlike J ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of HDL Simulators
HDL simulators are software packages that simulate expressions written in one of the hardware description languages, such as VHDL, Verilog, SystemVerilog. This page is intended to list current and historical HDL simulators, accelerators, emulators, etc. Proprietary simulators Some commercial proprietary simulators (such as ModelSim) are available in student, or evaluation/demo editions. These editions generally have many features disabled, arbitrary limits on simulation design size, but are sometimes offered free of charge. Free and open-source simulators Verilog simulators VHDL simulators Key See also * Verilog * SystemVerilog * VHDL * SystemC * Waveform viewer A waveform viewer is a software tool for viewing the signal levels of either a digital circuit, digital or analog circuit design.Janick Bergeron, ''Writing Testbenches: Functional verification of HDL Models'', Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2000 Wave ... References {{Programmable Logic Hardware descr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Floating-point Unit
A floating-point unit (FPU), numeric processing unit (NPU), colloquially math coprocessor, is a part of a computer system specially designed to carry out operations on floating-point numbers. Typical operations are addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and square root. Modern designs generally include a fused multiply-add instruction, which was found to be very common in real-world code. Some FPUs can also perform various transcendental functions such as exponential or trigonometric calculations, but the accuracy can be low, so some systems prefer to compute these functions in software. Floating-point operations were originally handled in software in early computers. Over time, manufacturers began to provide standardized floating-point libraries as part of their software collections. Some machines, those dedicated to scientific processing, would include specialized hardware to perform some of these tasks with much greater speed. The introduction of microcode in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pipeline (computing)
In computing, a pipeline, also known as a data pipeline, is a set of data processing elements connected in series, where the output of one element is the input of the next one. The elements of a pipeline are often executed in parallel or in time-sliced fashion. Some amount of buffer storage is often inserted between elements. Concept and motivation Pipelining is a commonly used concept in everyday life. For example, in the assembly line of a car factory, each specific task—such as installing the engine, installing the hood, and installing the wheels—is often done by a separate work station. The stations carry out their tasks in parallel, each on a different car. Once a car has had one task performed, it moves to the next station. Variations in the time needed to complete the tasks can be accommodated by "buffering" (holding one or more cars in a space between the stations) and/or by "stalling" (temporarily halting the upstream stations), until the next station becomes avai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
CPU Cache
A CPU cache is a hardware cache used by the central processing unit (CPU) of a computer to reduce the average cost (time or energy) to access data from the main memory. A cache is a smaller, faster memory, located closer to a processor core, which stores copies of the data from frequently used main memory locations. Most CPUs have a hierarchy of multiple cache levels (L1, L2, often L3, and rarely even L4), with different instruction-specific and data-specific caches at level 1. The cache memory is typically implemented with static random-access memory (SRAM), in modern CPUs by far the largest part of them by chip area, but SRAM is not always used for all levels (of I- or D-cache), or even any level, sometimes some latter or all levels are implemented with eDRAM. Other types of caches exist (that are not counted towards the "cache size" of the most important caches mentioned above), such as the translation lookaside buffer (TLB) which is part of the memory management unit (M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
JTAG
JTAG (named after the Joint Test Action Group which codified it) is an industry standard for verifying designs of and testing printed circuit boards after manufacture. JTAG implements standards for on-chip instrumentation in electronic design automation (EDA) as a complementary tool to digital simulation. It specifies the use of a dedicated debug port implementing a serial communications interface for low-overhead access without requiring direct external access to the system address and data buses. The interface connects to an on-chip Test Access Port (TAP) that implements a stateful protocol to access a set of test registers that present chip logic levels and device capabilities of various parts. The Joint Test Action Group formed in 1985 to develop a method of verifying designs and testing printed circuit boards after manufacture. In 1990 the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers codified the results of the effort in IEEE Standard 1149.1-1990, entitled ''Stand ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
