Embedded System Design Based on FPGA and RISC-V

Embedded System Design Based on FPGA and RISC-V

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Background:A senior FPGA and embedded development expert, a master’s degree in integrated circuit design from the University of Southern California; founder of PulseRain Technology in the USA. He won third place in the official RISC-V Soft CPU design competition of the RISC-V Foundation in 2018 and the championship in the official IoT security design competition of the RISC-V Foundation in 2019. The PulseRain Rattlesnake processor he designed successfully thwarted all hacker simulation attacks, winning first place overall.

Embedded System Design Based on FPGA and RISC-V
Let’s discuss the application of RISC-V technology in the Internet of Things (IoT) and play the role of a life mentor. First, let’s talk about being a life mentor, which is a bit difficult for me, because being an electronic engineer is already a challenging profession. I would advise everyone to jump out of the fire pit while young, which might not sound very positive. But if I really want to pull everyone in, it’s not just about the risk of middle-aged unemployment; what if you encounter an unscrupulous employer and end up in jail for over 250 days? That would be a real disservice to everyone.
If you truly enjoy this profession, taking some risks like I did is fine. I have worked in the electronics industry for many years, doing firmware, hardware, chip design, etc., and ultimately I ended up in FPGA + embedded systems.
From my personal experience, chip design is a job that requires a variety of professional knowledge and skills, and is also the easiest to find oneself without orders and hungry. This is somewhat like building a skyscraper; constructing a skyscraper is a challenging task that requires significant investment and advanced technology. However, the demand for skyscrapers in the world tends to be sporadic. During good economic times, there may be a rush to build; during bad times, old buildings can still be used. So, when the economy is down, do we still need so many engineers to build skyscrapers? (At this time, the market may need more decorators than builders.)
Moreover, chips are related to specific applications. For example, artificial neural network chips and wireless chips are completely different, so besides understanding chip design itself, having an accurate understanding of systems and applications is often more important than understanding the chips themselves. For instance, the Internet of Things (IoT) mentioned in the title of this article is a comprehensive context of chips, software and hardware, and specific application scenarios.
Embedded System Design Based on FPGA and RISC-V
Speaking of IoT, I remember it was originally called another name: WSN (which stands for Wireless Sensor Network, not the pinyin abbreviation for Wei Suo Nan). Its earliest application was to collect sensor data wirelessly. As the processing power of processors has continuously increased, it has become possible to run the TCP/IP protocol directly at the data collection end, thus evolving into the Internet of Things (IoT).
Although IoT itself is not directly related to RISC-V, RISC-V is very suitable for applications like IoT. Unlike ordinary mobile wireless applications, the application scenarios of physical networks are very fragmented, which raises more customization requirements. At the same time, IoT terminals often require low power consumption and the ability to run small footprint real-time embedded operating systems. In addition, many applications have high data security requirements. Due to the openness and flexibility of RISC-V, it can relatively easily meet these needs without significantly increasing terminal costs.
If you haven’t reached this paragraph through “quantum wave reading,” then congratulations, you possess the most important quality of an electronic engineer: patience.

Skills and Areas Involved in RISC-V Chip Design

IoT involves all aspects of the electronics industry, which is very instructive for everyone’s study and employment. Specifically, it mainly involves the following:

01

Microcontroller (MCU) design, with a focus on microelectronics

This is also where RISC-V has great utility. The RISC-V instruction set originated from a research project on open-source computer systems led by Professor Krste Asanović at the University of California, Berkeley in the summer of 2010. Unlike ARM and Intel x86, RISC-V is a free and open instruction set. The standardization work of RISC-V is hosted by the RISC-V Foundation. Companies and individuals who want to use RISC-V to design processors are not restricted by the RISC-V Foundation and do not need to pay licensing fees to the RISC-V Foundation. This is one of the important reasons why RISC-V has emerged.
As of the writing of this article, there are reports that the RISC-V Foundation is planning to relocate its registration from the United States to Switzerland. This is said to be a precautionary measure due to concerns that the foundation’s operations may be affected by the US-China trade war, as some Republican lawmakers in the US feel that RISC-V’s open approach will ultimately benefit the Chinese (especially Huawei). Well, I admit that this lawmaker’s concerns are not entirely unwarranted, but fortunately, there are more naive engineers and scientists in the world besides politicians.

02

Embedded operating systems, with a focus on software

Due to the uniqueness of IoT, operating systems often need to have a relatively small footprint while also meeting real-time response requirements. Common operating systems include FreeRTOS, Zephyr, Contiki, etc. Porting these operating systems requires engineers to have in-depth knowledge of microcomputer principles, C language, operating system principles, etc. The openness of RISC-V hardware makes software porting relatively easy.

(Shameless advertisement) Both of the above aspects can be found in detail in the new book “Embedded System Design Based on FPGA and RISC-V.” Students who like hands-on work can find a complete set of examples from processor design to operating system porting on the accompanying small foot development board.

03

Circuit board design, including RF, with a focus on electronic engineering

04

Security design

Security is a very broad topic that often involves both hardware and software. In hardware, many microprocessors are often designed with a trusted mode that works with the operating system to run high-level security operations. Other processors may have dedicated memory access protection, etc. In software, targeted defenses against buffer overflow are usually required to prevent hackers from exploiting vulnerabilities during network connections.

(Shameless advertisement) In the recently concluded 2019 RISC-V soft core processor design competition, I won the championship by designing an IoT secure RISC-V processor. Relevant technical details can be found at https://github.com/PulseRain/Rattlesnake.

Embedded System Design Based on FPGA and RISC-V
In the internet industry, there is a term called “full-stack engineer,” which describes a software engineer who can master both front-end and back-end technologies. In the electronics industry, the skill tree is very rich. If someone can master all the aspects I mentioned above, they could probably be called a “versatile engineer.”
In reality, many companies often do not allow engineers to switch frequently between different jobs, especially in large companies. Therefore, I advise many newly graduated students not to disdain small companies; sometimes in small companies, you can be exposed to a wider variety of technologies, which can be beneficial for future development. At the same time, while working, don’t forget to keep up with the latest industry trends and continue learning.

Heartfelt words of wisdom

My favorite American drama is The Shawshank Redemption. There is a dialogue between prison inmates discussing what it means to be institutionalized. This dialogue has influenced my career:
Embedded System Design Based on FPGA and RISC-V

The man’s been in here fifty years, Heywood. Fifty years! This is all he knows. In here, he’s an important man. He’s an educated man. Outside, he’s nothin’! Just a used-up con with arthritis in both hands. couldn’t even get a library card if he applied. You see what I’m saying?

This guy has been here for 50 years, 50 years! This is all he knows about the world. In here, he is an important person, knowledgeable. Outside, he is nothing. He is just a worthless criminal with arthritis in both hands. If he were to go to the library, he probably wouldn’t even be able to apply for a library card. Do you see what I’m saying?

The company should be a place for you to learn and grow, not an institution that institutionalizes you. (So hurry up and buy my book before it’s too late. 😊) If you plan to work in this field, never give up on learning new technologies, even if those things don’t directly relate to your current job.
Ying He Academy will hold a 5-day FPGA training course for university teachers in Suzhou next week (University Teacher Training Course: Applications of FPGA in Teaching, Electronic Competitions, and Graduation Projects), starting from the principles of FPGA, to the last day covering all-day content related to RISC-V soft cores on FPGA, with a daily schedule of theory + practice, aiming to help everyone get started quickly. Please click the link above to sign up, or leave us a message or call for more information. We look forward to discussing FPGA and RISC-V technologies with all teachers in Suzhou and their applications in teaching.
At the same time, to facilitate everyone’s summer learning of FPGA/RISC-V, Ying He Academy has also launched a special package – FPGA learning platform (original price 499 yuan) + Lao Gu’s book (JD price 100 yuan) = 499 yuan! Scan the QR code below to go directly to the order page. Lao Gu’s live videos on Ying He Academy can be watched by clicking the “Read the original text” in the lower left corner.
Embedded System Design Based on FPGA and RISC-V
Embedded System Design Based on FPGA and RISC-V

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Embedded System Design Based on FPGA and RISC-V

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