Random Verification in Hardware – A Primer

Join us to explore such concepts and more, where we use Python to leverage its library-rich environment feasible for verification using Vyoma’s UpTickPro platform, in this edition of Capture the Bug hackathon, organized by NIELIT, Calicut, mentored by IIT Madras, in association with VLSI System Design and Vyoma Systems.
Hackathon details – https://nielithackathon.in/

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VSD-HDP : Verilator Verification Environment for RISC-V vector accelerator

In a nutshell, the project really is to build a Verilator Verification environment i.e. a structure in which we can set up testbenches that are executed with Verilator. The thing which is interesting in this project is we are going to tie that Verilator piece with a golden model arithmetic library and that is going to be something that you can publish as nobody else in the world has that

It’s a Verilator Testbench environment that uses an online arithmetic library to generate the right bit pattern. We are not using randoms, but we are using a Golden model. If you progress from ALU to a vector accelerator, you will have a vector lane, vector register file, vector load/store unit, vector instructions.

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13-Year-Old, Nicholas Sharkey, Creates a RISC-V Core

It was also a real testament to Nicholas’s thirst for knowledge and the outside-the-box thinking of his home-schooling parents, Rasa and Mike. Having a 13-year-old of my own, I was particularly impressed by Nicholas’s willingness to put himself out there, asking questions and joining Zoom calls (not to mention his familiarity with Linux). I’ve since learned that Nicholas has been awarded in spelling bees and math competitions and is an expert at solving the Rubik’s Cube. Somehow, I’m not surprised.

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Ever heard of Chip Design Pentagon?

Know what Pentagon is? It is a plane figure which has 5-straight sides and 5-angles. For a perfect pentagon, it needs all its sides and angles to be the same, till the last decimal. Do you know what is the similarity between pentagon and our upcoming workshop “Advanced Physical Design workshop using OpenLANE/SKY130”?  Look above image and you would guess it right. It is a perfect blend of topics where even a fresher can jump-start his/her career in chip design in just 5-days

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Foundry IP’s vs Macros – 10years to solve this query

A great one – not only for VSD, but also for entire VSD community. The journey has just begun, in nutshell, below image shows a well-designed VLSI Skilling model (VSD Workshops + VSD-IP design Internship + Tapeout[working on it]), which is not just participants driven but also silicon proven. To summarize, given a problem statement, VSD Interns and participants, who have gone through this rigorous training and designing model will have much better ways to figure out solutions by themselves.

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150+ students have decided to upskill in VLSI

And that’s where VSD must play an especially important role to bring in latest and greatest VLSI skills to you, atleast in the field of open-source hardware. VSD owes a lot to VLSI community and hence has planned 3 exclusive cloud lab-based VLSI workshops on 3 important topics, with top 3 expert instructors from around globe,  having more than 2 decades of experience – Tim Edwards, Steve Hoover, and Prof. Mohamed Shalan

Open-source EDA tool development with lab exercises using Sky130 pdk’s by Google/Skywater
RISC-V micro-architecture using transaction level – Verilog with lab exercises on Makerchip Platform
SoC and Physical Design using Automated RTL2GDS OpenLANE tool with lab exercises using demo design and Sky130 pdk’s.

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