From: Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton Date: Sun, 29 Dec 2019 21:29:32 +0000 (+0000) Subject: add 2019dec29 nlnet update X-Git-Url: https://git.libre-soc.org/?a=commitdiff_plain;h=9c0269f8eefde6c0477cee435af212799e118e10;p=crowdsupply.git add 2019dec29 nlnet update --- diff --git a/updates/021_2019dec29_nlnet_grants_approved.mdwn b/updates/021_2019dec29_nlnet_grants_approved.mdwn new file mode 100644 index 0000000..643bc43 --- /dev/null +++ b/updates/021_2019dec29_nlnet_grants_approved.mdwn @@ -0,0 +1,184 @@ +# NLNet Grants approved: Power ISA under consideration + +Across several projects, nearly EUR 400,000 worth of additional funding +applications were put in, and around EUR 200,000 to 250,000 of those have +been approved. The RISC-V Foundation's continued extreme unethical +actions have led us to consider using Power ISA. + +# NLNet Grants + +[NLNet](http://nlnet.nl) were first approached eighteen months ago, with +an initial application to develop the core of a privacy-respecting trustable +processor. Whilst NLNet's primary focus of the past fifteen years has been +software, they have funded reverse-engineering for +[Osmocon BB](https://nlnet.nl/project/sdr-phy/) and for +[OpenBSC](https://nlnet.nl/project/iuh-openbsc/) so are no strangers to +hardware. The problem with software is: if the hardware cannot be trusted, +then no amount of trustable, open and transparent software will help. + +The [additional proposals](https://libre-riscv.org/nlnet_proposals/) +expand on the core, to cover: + +* Formal Mathematical correctness proofs for the entire processor, including + the FPU (no more Intel Pentium FPDIV bugs...) +* a special Video Acceleration focus, adding video decode instructions +* an additional 3D Driver based on AMDVLK or MESA +* some funding to be able to properly develop and document ISA standards +* a Wishbone Streaming enhancement to add A/V timecode stamps to Wishbone B4, + and to develop independent libre-licensed peripherals as examples. +* two inter-related proposals to develop Libre Cell Libraries + ([Chips4Makers](http://chips4makers.be)), to be used + by a team at [LIP6.fr](http://lip6.fr) + using the Alliance / Coriolis2 ASIC layout tools. + Additional funding will go to the nmigen team for ASIC improvements and + special integration with Coriolis2. + +The goal here is to get to a working, commercially-saleable 180nm single-core +ASIC at around 300 to 350mhz, suitable for use as a high-end Embedded +Controller. Staf from Chips4Makers will act as the "NDA firebreak" between +us and TSMC. + +All of these have been approved by NLNet, and, crucially, the external +independent review process successfully completed for each. The exact +amounts of each grant is to be confirmed, with each being possible to be +up to the limit of EUR 50,000 for each sub-project. + +Part of the process was a little tricky, initially: the independent reviewers +expressed surprise at the amounts being requested for *sub*-tasks when the +initial application was so small. The reason was very simple: both Jacob +and I have unique low-income circumstances that simply do not need European / +Western style living expenses. Whereas, when we get to much more specialist +tasks (such as formal mathematical proofs, Video assembly-level drivers, +and so on), these fields are so specialist that finding people who are good +*and* who are able to exist on student or S.E.Asia level funding is just not +practical. + +We therefore made sure that the calculations were based around an approximate +EUR 3,000 per month budget per person, bearing in mind that due to NLNet's +International Tax Agreements, this being donations, that's equivalent to a +"wage" of approximately nearly twice that amount (three times if, as a +business, you have to take into consideration Corporation Tax / Employee +Insurance as well). + +We therefore need to find people willing to help do the work, and what is +really nice: NLNet will donate money to them for completion of that work! +Therefore, if you've always wanted to work on a 3D processor, its drivers +and its source code, do get in touch. + +# PowerPC. + +This is a +[long story](http://lists.libre-riscv.org/pipermail/libre-riscv-dev/2019-October/003035.html) +that was picked up by +[Phoronix](https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Libre-RISC-V-Eyeing-POWER) +before we had a chance to make any kind of real "announcement". That said: +we're always really grateful to Michael for his coverage of the Libre SoC, +as it always sparks some insightful, useful and engaging discussions. + +The summary is this: Libre and Open contributors to RISC-V have been +disregarded for several years. **Long** before I joined the RISC-V +Mailing lists, it was *well-known* within that small and tightly-knit +community that if you were not associated directly with UCB, you were +basically not welcome. Caveat: if you signed the NDA-like agreement +which conflicts directly with, for example, the Debian Charter and +the whole purpose of Libre Licenses, then you got a "voice" and you +got access to the closed and secretive RISC-V resources and mailing +lists. + +Michael puts it extremely well: I have absolutely no problem with the +ISA itself, it's the abuse of power and the flagrant ignoring and abuse +of basic tenets of Trademark Law that are just completely untenable. +Not only that: one well-paid employee of SiFive has *repeatedly* engaged +in defamation attacks for over eighteen months. Even raising a formal +complaint through the newly-established relationship with the Linux +Foundation failed to keep that individual under control. Also adversely +impacted was the newly-established Open Graphics Alliance initiative, +which was independently started by Pixilica back in October, +proposed at SIGGRAPH 2019 and welcomed by world-leading 3D Industry +experts. + +At some point you just have to appreciate that to continue to support +an unethical organisation is itself unethical, and thus I made the +decision to reach out to MIPS and Power. The MIPS website didn't even +work, so I gave up there immediately. The Open Power Foundation on +the other hand, I was both delighted and surprised to hear back from +a former colleague when I was in Canberra, 20 years ago: Hugh Blemings. + +Hugh is extremely knowledgeable, highly intelligent, and completely +understands Libre and Open principles. We had only 15 minutes to +talk before he had to focus on preparing for the upcoming Open Power +Conference: in that short time, we covered: + +* the need for ISANS / ISAMUX "breakout" system. Hugh even said, + without prompting, that the scheme I quickly described would + allow full software-level ISA emulation and that that was a really + good and necessary thing. With this **formally** in place as part + of an officially-approved Power ISA Standard, not only could our team + expand the Power ISA in a safe and controlled fashion, so could other + adopters. +* that the core OpenPower members had *already been discussing* how to make + sure that new Libre Teams with a commercial focus could join and not + have any transparency / patent / NDA / royalty / licensing conflicts + of interest. The only major thing that the other members wanted was + a "P.R. blackout period", right around the time of announcement of + new Standards, which sounds perfectly reasonable to me. +* that IBM will be providing a royalty-free unlimited license grant + for *all* of its patents, as long as firstly the licensees do not + make any effort to assert patents **against** IBM, and secondly, + as long as implementations are fully-compliant with the OpenPower + Standards. +* that there is discussion underway as to the creation and maintenance + of Formal Compliance Test Suites, just as there is today with the + RISC-V ISA. +* that the use of a Certification Mark - not a Service Mark or a Trade Mark - + is the most appropriate thing for ISA Standards. I mentioned this + only briefly however it takes a lot more than 15 minutes to properly + explain, so I am not going to push it: Hugh is doing so much already. + +It was a very busy and positive conversation, where it is clear that +we caught them right at the beginning of the process. Consequently, +my discussion with Hugh was just at the right time. Without that, +the existing OpenPower Members might never have really truly believed +that any Libre **Commercial** project would ever in fact come forward +(that the steps that they were taking were purely hypothetical). +Out of the blue (pun intended) I contact Hugh and highlight that no, +it's not hypothetical. + +The next step, then, will be to wait until mid-january when people come +back from holiday, and wait for the announcement of the Open Power +License Agreement. Hugh reassures me that there's nothing spectacularly +controversial in it, and given his long-standing experience of several +decades with the Libre and Open Communities, I cannot think of a reason +why it would not be possible to sign it. We just have to see. + +The timing here with NLNet is just on the edge: we have to create a +full list of milestones and assign a fixed budget to each (then later +subdivide them into sub-tasks under that milestone). This is a leeeetle +bit challenging when we have not yet reviewed the Open Power Agreement, +however given that the majority of the tasks are ISA-independent, it +will actually work out fine. + +The only other major thing: what the heck do we do with the libre-riscv.org +domain? As you can see on the mailing list decision, we decided to go +with a *userspace* RV64GC dual-ISA front-end. **userspace** RISC-V POSIX +(Linux / Android) applications will work perfectly well, as will **userspace** +PowerISA POSIX applications, however the **kernel** (supervisor) space will +be entirely PowerISA. + +The Video and 3D acceleration opcodes will be **entirely in the Power ISA**. +We are sick and tired of the RISC-V Foundation's blatant mismanagement: +therefore we will comply to the absolute minimal letter with RV64GC for +the benefit of our users, backers and sponsors, however RISC-V and the +RISC-V ISA itself +will no longer receive the benefit of the advancements and innovation +that we have received funding and support to develop. + +Therefore: the assembly-code being written by hand for the Video Acceleration +side, as well as the 3D drivers for Kazan and MESA, will "flip" from RV64GC +RISC-V over to the Power ISA, which will be fully 3D accelerated with advanced +Simple-V Vector operations, then return back to userspace RISC-V RV64GC ISA +to continue serving the user application. + +Next steps for us include setting up a Foundation under which the processor +can be developed, and to look towards the next major funding step: USD 10m +to 20m.