marketnext/libresoc_story_15may2020.mdwn

   1 # Draft Libre-SOC Chip article
   2
   3 Revisions / History:
   4
   5 * 11 May 2020 - version 2
   6
   7
   8 **So much more is possible within this very small chip.  Not the fastest,
   9 nor the most powerful but the most radical for a new piece of silicon
  10 in the 21st century. The chip will be available to our members together
  11 with the expertise to use it.**
  12
  13 The Libre-SOC project, with MarketNext, creates a first-of-its-kind
  14 Libre-licensed CPU with built-in GPU (3D) and VPU (Video) capabilities. It
  15 is open to anyone, any entrepreneur, anywhere in the world to extend
  16 it to meet the needs of their local market. This market was previously
  17 considered the realm of very large corporations only. Not having expertise
  18 hasn’t been an obstacle to having the vision because MarketNext has
  19 been able to provide very specific expertise to support this new member.
  20
  21 This chip can allow people to manufacture Smartphones, tablets &
  22 notebooks, single board computers for all sorts of industrial, embedded
  23 applications, entertainment devices, automotive & power management for
  24 new electric vehicle designs, interactive kiosks, public information
  25 systems, power and resource management. You can build intelligent
  26 behavioural networks for electric vehicle recharging & power-grids.
  27 One application could be to accelerate the evolution of the current
  28 internet to be better suited to developing economies, and providing
  29 access to management heuristics within that network.
  30
  31 It has been built so that countries and citizens regain Sovereign control
  32 over their computing technology.  When the Quad-core version of the chip
  33 is ready, its cost in volume will be around $4 (74 ZAR, 302 INR, £3.22).
  34 It has a massive potential to change the status quo.  We accept at the
  35 moment that things are manufactured in South Korea or China and then
  36 distributed all over the world.  With Libre-SOC chips, suddenly, anybody
  37 with a small workshop can create sophisticated computing devices with
  38 much reduced legal and technical hurdles.  We are building expertise
  39 which is valuable and we are inviting anyone to co-create empowering
  40 opportunities for the people who use it.
  41
  42 New MarketNext member Luke Leighton conceived this design, and, with the
  43 help of Mitch Alsup on the comp.arch newsnet group, got a crash-course
  44 education in chip architecture.  Mitch is the designer of the Motorola
  45 68000, 88120, AMD K9, AMD Opteron Series, and a lead architect on
  46 Samsung's recent GPU. He is also one of the few people in the world
  47 with working knowledge of the exceptionally powerful Cray CDC6600 -
  48 the inspiration for this initiative's core engine.  Other invaluable
  49 team members, Jacob Lifshay, Yehowshua Immanuel, Michael Nolan and more,
  50 share the same goals and have been helping to make this chip a reality.
  51
  52 “We’re not trying to build the fastest", Luke said. "or the most
  53 powerful computer processor ever. It is the most radical design.
  54 It’s capable of a high degree of parallel processing.  Also it’s
  55 the first ever Libre-licensed chip which has such a radical and
  56 ambitious architecture, with an extended instruction set that makes GPU
  57 instructions native.  This means that all video and 3D processing is
  58 done far more efficiently inside the chip, dramatically simplifying
  59 software drivers and end-user applications as a hugely beneficial
  60 side-effect”.  Fundamentally, free open source software is better,
  61 not just because it’s free as in free beer but also because it’s
  62 free as in free and fair elections.  When a closed operation works,
  63 their development cycle tends to go through big internal iterations and
  64 the teams are contractually unable to talk to anyone.  The 3rd party
  65 developers using that product who find errors and need help from the
  66 company meet stone-cold brick walls in the form of NDAs and "support
  67 contracts". With this design being conducted entirely in the open,
  68 developers do not need to ask permission. They can download the drivers
  69 and the full hardware design immediately. Mistakes are rectified faster,
  70 more elegant solutions are incorporated earlier, the open design process
  71 always creates better results which are more user & market friendly.
  72
  73 There is also an additional huge market for peripherals, interfaces,
  74 environmental sensors, human interface devices including virtual reality
  75 supported by future versions.  By 2022, we expect to mass-produce a
  76 Quad Core 64-bit chip with a dual issue 800Mhz processor and a 320 pin
  77 package for under $4.
  78
  79 Libre-SOC is a system which has grown from following Libre principles.
  80 What it basically does is it extends the ethical FOSS (Free Open Source
  81 Software) principles into hardware.  Presently you have to run open source
  82 software on hardware such as Intel or Apple. When this chip exists there
  83 will be no corporate stranglehold on any part of the whole stack.
  84
  85 This allows massive revenue transfer.  We open closed markets and create
  86 product income for all members of the network closer to the point of use.
  87 The astronomical revenues kept in tax havens by corporations can now be
  88 shared by local communities all over the whole world.
  89
  90 Any patents will be based on the IBM patent pool concept, which is
  91 royalty-free for any user unless that user asserts litigation detrimental
  92 to other members of the user community.
  93
  94 So here is a system where MarketNext members can provide customer
  95 services, legal service, marketing services and crucial technical
  96 expertise.  Although we can’t have complete control over how an open
  97 product is used, the core developers and MarketNext members, having
  98 current know-how, are by default the logical best route and will have
  99 first-mover advantage.
 100
 101 Within closed and proprietary systems, you have the so-called Peter
 102 Principle where people are promoted into a role above their ability
 103 and then they stay at that role, slightly above their ability.  In an
 104 open system that can’t happen.  In an open project you are not
 105 working with a project according to the abilities you had in the past.
 106 You’re contributing according to your best assets right now and we
 107 can avoid the massive mistake of closed systems.
 108
 109 For example: due to NDAs, proprietary and closed development teams
 110 are prevented and prohibited from reaching out if they need outside
 111 assistance.  Libre and Open Projects, never having signed an NDA, if
 112 they need help, may ask on public forums such as comp.arch, immediately.
 113 More than that: again, with no NDAs, and operating entirely in the
 114 public eye, anyone may reach out, at any time, and volunteer their advice
 115 and expertise.
 116
 117 It will be practical and usable.  We are doing this really fast because
 118 sharing knowledge is key to our growth.  We hope to have our first device
 119 ready for October 2020 as a proof of concept test chip. We already have
 120 simulator builds and unit tests as part of the daily development plan.
 121 By August this year, we aim to have an FPGA (Floating Point Gate Array)
 122 build ready which is a hardware simulation and then we will really be
 123 able to test it.  We will potentially have around 30 chips available for
 124 testing on 180nm.  Those precious chips will be available to exclusive
 125 and strategic partners willing to help us achieve this ambitious goal.
 126
 127 A simple way to understand how the Open Source model works is for
 128 example with Linus Torvalds who was the spearhead of the Linux operating
 129 system. He is available to anyone in the world to help with their Linux
 130 project.  But it works fine without him.  He’s available for hire but
 131 not for employment. Typically such founders will be involved in projects
 132 which expand the use case and which extends the reach of the technology.
 133 Because of the openness and the visibility of this development, that
 134 expertise becomes available to more MarketNext members to share.
 135
 136 Libre-SOC has thrived by openly asking questions in public and receiving
 137 amazing support.  The collaborators come so far from India, Russia, UK,
 138 Iceland, Canada, USA, Germany, Belgium and Taiwan. Now that it’s part
 139 of MarketNext we expect that collaboration to grow further.
 140
 141 There are many applications for this in the developing market and
 142 advantages from removing reliance on expensive imported goods and being
 143 able to manufacture more locally.  This chip will be available cheaply
 144 to members and support and expertise will be available to members for
 145 how to take this and make this core component which has never been
 146 available before.
 147
 148 With Linux over the past few decades, there have been very stable incomes
 149 from this free project from support, education and training. It powers
 150 over 60% of all the worlds’ web servers.  Now these are the first steps
 151 ever in creating an open hardware platform.  The potential applications
 152 for this are highly expansive.
 153
 154 Whilst considerably simpler this creates more opportunity for those
 155 in legal services, human resource consultancy, education, science &
 156 engineering, public policy, and many other areas of our members interests.
 157