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6 \title{Commercial Libre-RISCV SoC
}
7 \author{Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton
}
14 \huge{Designing a Commercial Libre RISC-V SoC
}\\
16 \Large{Ethical Strategic Leveraging of the benefits
}\\
17 \Large{of Libre and Open SW/HW
}\\
18 \Large{for pure unadulterated Commercial gain
}\\
20 \Large{Chennai
9th RISC-V Workshop
}\\
27 \frame{\frametitle{Credits and Acknowledgements
}
30 \item The Designers of RISC-V
\vspace{15pt
}
31 \item The Shakti Group
\vspace{15pt
}
32 \item Prof. G S Madhusudan
\vspace{15pt
}
33 \item Neel Gala
\vspace{15pt
}
34 \item Rishabh Jain
\vspace{15pt
}
39 \frame{\frametitle{Why, How, What?
}
42 \item Why? Because these days it's just not necessary to
43 make
[un
]ethical compromises in order to make a profitable,
44 desirable mass-volume product\\
45 {\it (There's enough companies doing that: where it's got us??)
}
46 \item How? By leveraging the long-establised strategic cost and
47 maintenance benefits of libre-licensed software (and
49 {\it making sure that the people who provide it are
50 financially rewarded
}. Also by empowering diverse team
52 \item What? A
2.5ghz RISC-V
64-bit SoC that has
53 a
3D Embedded GPU,
1080p Video decode, and interfaces
54 to make it attractive for use in tablets, netbooks, industrial
55 embedded and more.
22nm or less, under
400 pins, under USD \$
4.\\
56 {\it All sounds obvious... but is it practical and achievable?
}
61 \frame{\frametitle{Definitions
}
64 \item {\bf Business
}: the provision of a service and being
65 commensurately financially rewarded for doing so
66 \item {\bf Spongeing
}: the provision of a service and being
67 taken advantage of for doing so
{\it (cf: Professor Yunus)
}
68 \item {\bf An ethical act
}: an act that increases truth,
69 love, awareness or creativity for one or more people
70 (including yourself),
{\it without
} reducing those
71 same four qualities
{\it for anyone
}
72 \item {\bf The Four Freedoms
}: the rights and guarantees
73 associated with and embedded within GNU Licenses
{\it (cf: FSF)
}
75 {\it Is it possible to ethically do business and respect the
76 Four Freedoms? That's where it gets interesting, as there are
77 even cases where the Four Freedoms are unethical. Note: google's
78 former motto "don't be evil" is clearly (unintentionally) unethical
}
82 \frame{\frametitle{How on earth does an ethical Libre SoC make money???
}
85 \item Simple answer: Mask Rights.
86 \item Without Mask Rights: by having a desirable
87 product, and packaging it for a customer (i.e. by being a middle-man
88 a service is still being provided for which payment etc. etc.)
89 \item Without a desirable product or customer(s): err... you don't.\\
90 (cf: definition of Business)
91 \item By not having high NREs (leveraging back-to-back deals,
92 and helping others fulfil their needs)
94 {\it Detachment from the goal also helps. If someone else makes this
95 product then GREAT! I can go do something else
}
99 \frame{\frametitle{Things wot are "off-limits"
}
102 \item Customer entrapment (through proprietary software).\\
103 Strong business case for not entrapping customers:\\
104 https://tinyurl.com/most-productive-meeting-ever
105 \item Funding, endorsing, empowering or otherwise supporting
106 unethical Companies, Organisations and Individuals.\\
107 (cf: definition of an ethical act).
108 \item Being totally inflexible / unrealistic. Goals have
109 to be met: it's no good being an idiot about that. If
110 a Libre
3D GPU really can't be made, use Vivante GC800
113 {\it Still no real show-stoppers to making money (or product):
114 it's just slightly harder, that's all. Ultimately it's about
119 \frame{\frametitle{Interfaces, Block Diagram, of the Libre-RISCV SoC
}
121 \includegraphics[height=
2.1in
]{../shakti_libre_riscv.jpg
}\\
122 {\bf Separate Power Domains for GPIO banks, Variable voltages
123 required, low-power sleep states etc. Quite involved
}
127 \frame{\frametitle{Hardware / Development Complexity Comparison
}
130 \item {\bf Server
}: relatively easy. PCIe, RapidIO, XAUI, SATA, (
1/
10) GbE,
131 DDR3/
4 (or HMC) etc. etc. No multiplexing: all interfaces dedicated
132 and high-speed differential pairs.
133 \item {\bf Desktop
}: really just a variant of Server.
134 Graphics is a PCIe Card (except if integrated). Peripherals
135 often done in dedicated external ICs ("Southbridge" concept)
136 \item {\bf Embedded
}: also pretty easy. Really needs a pinmux. Low clock
137 rate, low power mode. e.g. SiFive Freedom U310.
138 \item {\bf Mobile
}: HARD. Performance/Watt matters $=>$ variable core
139 voltage domains
{\it per core
}. Number of pins matters (affects
140 yield and package cost). Cost
141 matters. Pinmux critical.
143 {\it Bottom line: Mobile-class processors are challenging!
}
147 \frame{\frametitle{TODO
}
150 \item TODO
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}
155 \frame{\frametitle{Summary
}
165 {\Huge The end
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166 Thank you
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167 Questions?
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}
173 \item http://libre-riscv.org/shakti/m
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