No One-Size-Fits-All Approach To RISC-V Processor Optimization


As the demand for high-performance processors continues to grow and semiconductor scaling laws continue to show their limits, the need for processor optimization is inevitable. As I explained in a previous blog, RISC-V is designed to enable this. However, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to processor optimization. As each workload and each application will have their own requirements, th... » read more

Processor Design Automation To Drive Innovation And Foster Differentiation


With semiconductor scaling no longer being an option in most situations, optimization means customizing the processor for your specific application. With the right approach and right tools, processor design automation can enable innovation and differentiation. One way of achieving this is to create an application-specific processor by owning the design. To do this efficiently, manual efforts sh... » read more

Customize Off-The-Shelf Processor IP


Processor customization is one approach to optimizing a processor IP core to handle a certain workload. In some case it makes sense to design a dedicated core from scratch, but in many cases an existing core may partially meet your requirements and can be a good starting point for your optimized core. In the past some processor IP vendors, notably ARC and Tensilica, offered extensible cores ... » read more