Own An Open Source RISC-V Microcontroller (crowdsupply.com)

"Did you ever think it would be great if hardware was open to the transistor level, not just the chip level?" writes hamster_nz, pointing to a new Crowd Supply campaign for the OnChip Open-V microcontroller, "a completely free (as in freedom) and open source 32-bit microcontroller based on the RISC-V architecture." hamster_nz writes: With a completely open instruction-set architecture and no license fees for the CPU design, the RISC-V architecture is well positioned to take the crown as the 'go to' design for anybody needing a 32-bit in their silicon, and Open-V are crowd-sourcing their funding for an initial manufacturing run of 70,000 chips, offering options from a single chip to a seat in the design review process. This project is shaping up to be a milestone for the coming Open Source Silicon revolution, and they are literally offering a seat at the table. Even if you don't end up backing the project, it makes for very interesting reading.
Their crowdfunding page argues "If you love hacking on embedded controllers, breaking down closed-source barriers, having the freedom to learn how things work even down to the transistor level, or have dreamed of spinning your own silicon, then this campaign is for you."

Comments

Re:FPGA

[Bruce Perens]

If you want hardware open to the transistor level and not just the microcode level, just use an FPGA

I think you mean the bitstream. Gate-array designs, including the design of this chip, are generally coded at a higher level than a single transistor. One can then compile them to the transistor level as part of the preparation for using a fab to create a chip rather than a gate-array program.

Actually, we would like an Open Hardware gate array. A big problem currently facing us is that the tool chain can't be entirely Open Source because gate-array manufacturers treat their bitstream format as trade-secret. So, we need an open bitstream.