RISC-V Block Diagram
High-level architecture of the 5-stage pipelined processor
RISC-V Soft Processor
Custom 32-bit RISC-V soft processor implemented on FPGA for edge computing applications.
Key Metrics
Overview
This project involved designing a complete RISC-V RV32IM processor core from scratch, optimized for edge AI inference workloads. The design prioritizes low resource utilization while maintaining performance.
The Challenge
A client needed a customizable processor core for their edge computing device, requiring flexibility to add custom instructions and tight integration with peripherals.
Our Solution
Designed a 5-stage pipelined RISC-V RV32IM soft core with custom peripheral interfaces. Implemented on Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA with optimized resource utilization and custom bootloader.
The Result
Achieved 100MHz operation with 30% lower resource usage than comparable open-source cores. Enabled rapid prototyping of custom instruction extensions.
Deep Dive
Architecture Design
We implemented a classic 5-stage pipeline (Fetch, Decode, Execute, Memory, Writeback) with hazard detection and forwarding logic. The design includes a custom AXI4-Lite bus interface for peripheral integration and supports the full RV32IM instruction set including integer multiplication and division.
Optimization Strategy
Resource optimization was achieved through careful RTL coding practices, including efficient multiplexer structures and optimized arithmetic units. We utilized Xilinx DSP slices for multiplication operations and implemented a configurable cache system.
Verification & Testing
The design was verified using a comprehensive testbench with RISC-V compliance tests. We achieved 100% pass rate on the official RISC-V test suite and performed extensive timing analysis to ensure reliable operation at 100MHz.