X-Git-Url: https://git.libre-soc.org/?a=blobdiff_plain;f=nlnet_2019_formal.mdwn;h=1d3cbb4072a86211fb505290e9f3fcf370e5f5dd;hb=80046360c32f12f5734318b5c7752d88efb28c1e;hp=4d2a06c7f39ce14474446425f5223b162aa826d4;hpb=17aa898bc821139462c5d3d9a13d795e52e8bd56;p=libreriscv.git diff --git a/nlnet_2019_formal.mdwn b/nlnet_2019_formal.mdwn index 4d2a06c7f..1d3cbb407 100644 --- a/nlnet_2019_formal.mdwn +++ b/nlnet_2019_formal.mdwn @@ -1,4 +1,6 @@ -# NL.net proposal +# NL.net proposal 2019-10-032 + +* NLNet Project Page ## Project name @@ -153,3 +155,20 @@ all picked up the story. The list is updated and maintained here: * * * + +# Management Summary + +The Libre RISC-V SoC Project, https://nlnet.nl/project/Libre-RISCV/, is +funded by NLNet to reach ASIC-proven status. As of Dec 2019 It has been +in development for a year, and writing comprehensive unit tests has been +both a critical part of that process and a major part of the time taken. +Formal Mathematical Proofs turn out to be critical for several reasons: +firstly, they are simpler to read and much more comprehensive (100% +coverage), saving hugely on development and maintenance; secondly, +they're mathematically inviolate. From a security and trust perspective, +both aspects are extremely important. Firstly: security mistakes are +often accidental due to complexity: a reduction in complexity helps +avoid mistakes. Secondly: independent auditing of the processor is a +matter of running the formal proofs. This proposal therefore not only +saves on development time, it helps us meet the goal of developing a +privacy-respecting processor in a way that is *independently* verifiable.