}
+\frame{\frametitle{Definitions}
+
+ \begin{itemize}
+ \item {\bf Business}: the provision of a service and being
+ commensurately financially rewarded for doing so
+ \item {\bf Spongeing}: the provision of a service and being
+ taken advantage of for doing so {\it (cf: Professor Yunus)}
+ \item {\bf An ethical act}: an act that increases truth,
+ love, awareness or creativity for one or more people
+ (including yourself), {\it without} reducing those
+ same four qualities {\it for anyone}
+ \item {\bf The Four Freedoms}: the rights and guarantees
+ associated with and embedded within GNU Licenses {\it (cf: FSF)}
+ \end{itemize}
+ {\it Is it possible to ethically do business and respect the
+ Four Freedoms? That's where it gets interesting, as there are
+ even cases where the Four Freedoms are unethical. Note: google's
+ former motto "don't be evil" is clearly (unintentionally) unethical}
+}
+
+
+\frame{\frametitle{Does what we want already exist? Surely this is nonsense!}
+ \begin{center}
+ \includegraphics[height=2.4in]{nolibresocs.jpg}\\
+ {\bf Analysis of SoCs over the past 7+ years (answer: no)}
+ \end{center}
+}
+
+
+\frame{\frametitle{Breakdown of non-existence of fully-Libre SoCs}
+
+ \begin{itemize}
+ \item {\bf iMX6}: Libre bootable, Vivante 3D GPU (libre etnaviv)
+ but proprietary VPU (and a power-hungry Cortex A9)
+ \item {\bf Allwinner SoCs}: mostly Libre bootable,
+ VPU reverse engineered; GPU: MALI or PowerVR (i.e. proprietary)
+ \item {\bf Rockchip SoCs}: good but using MALI or PowerVR.
+ \item {\bf TI OMAP}: good but using PowerVR. and expensive.
+ \item {\bf Samsung}: good but using MALI.
+ \item {\bf Ingenic jz4775}: GREAT! performance
+ sucks (1ghz MIPS32).
+ \item {\bf Broadcom SoCs}: Cartelled. and boots from the GPU
+ \end{itemize}
+ {\it Basically there does not exist one single commercial SoC that
+ provides full source code for all functions (CPU, GPU, VPU)
+ with modern performance. Which is kinda bizarre if you think about it}
+}
+
+
+\frame{\frametitle{What would a good (Libre) boring, mundane SoC have?}
+
+ \begin{itemize}
+ \item Cover a lot of different scenarios (embedded, tablets, industrial,
+ netbooks, crypto-currency mining).
+ \item Decent performance with high efficiency. RISC-V: 40 \%
+ more efficient than ARM / Intel. Shakti a good
+ candidate: 2.5ghz and 120mW per core @ 22nm.
+ \item 1080p video: y'all gotta watch cute kittens on youtube, right?
+ \item 3D GPU: y'all gotta play Angri Burds, right? (or Minecraft)
+ \item No spying back-door co-processors (to steal crypto-wallets)
+ \item No Spectres, no Meltdowns.
+ \end{itemize}
+ {\it Basically quite boring and mundane. No Monster Performance,
+ no AI stuff, no special sauce. Just a plain-old SoC,
+ 40\% more power efficient than ARM/Intel,
+ and not spying on end-users, that's all}
+}
+
+
+\frame{\frametitle{How on earth does an ethical Libre SoC make money???}
+
+ \begin{itemize}
+ \item Simple answer: Mask Rights.
+ \item Without Mask Rights: by having a desirable
+ product, and packaging it for a customer (i.e. by being a middle-man
+ a service is still being provided for which payment etc. etc.)
+ \item Without a desirable product or customer(s): err... you don't.\\
+ (cf: definition of Business)
+ \item By not having high NREs (leveraging back-to-back deals,
+ and helping others fulfil their needs and goals)
+ \end{itemize}
+ {\it Detachment from the goal also helps. If someone else makes this
+ product then GREAT! I can go do something else}\\
+ \vspace{4pt}
+ {\bf Main point: please do not automatically assume Ethical and Libre is
+ non-commercial. It's not nice, and it's not helping }
+
+}
+
+\frame{\frametitle{Things wot are "off-limits"}
+
+ \begin{itemize}
+ \item Customer entrapment (through proprietary software).\\
+ Strong business case for not entrapping customers:\\
+ https://tinyurl.com/most-productive-meeting-ever
+ \item Funding, endorsing, supporting or empowering unethical
+ Companies, Organisations, Cartels and Individuals.\\
+ (cf: definition of an ethical act).
+ \item Being totally inflexible / unrealistic. Goals have
+ to be met: it's no good being an idiot about that. e.g. if
+ a Libre 3D GPU really can't be made, use Vivante GC800
+ (with etnaviv).
+ \end{itemize}
+ {\it Still no real show-stoppers to making money (or product):
+ it's just slightly harder, that's all. Ultimately it's about
+ confidence. }
+}
+
+
+\frame{\frametitle{Interfaces, Block Diagram, of the Libre-RISCV SoC}
+ \begin{center}
+ \includegraphics[height=2.1in]{../shakti_libre_riscv.jpg}\\
+ {\bf Separate Power Domains for GPIO banks, Variable voltages
+ required, low-power sleep states etc. Quite involved}
+ \end{center}
+}
+
+
+\frame{\frametitle{Hardware / Development Complexity Comparison}
+
+ \begin{itemize}
+ \item {\bf Server}: relatively easy. PCIe, RapidIO, XAUI, SATA, GbE, 10GE,
+ DDR3/4 (or HMC) etc. etc. No multiplexing: all interfaces dedicated
+ and high-speed differential pairs.
+ \item {\bf Desktop}: really just a variant of Server.
+ Graphics is a PCIe Card (except if integrated). Peripherals
+ often done in dedicated external ICs ("Southbridge" concept)
+ \item {\bf Embedded}: also pretty easy. Really needs a pinmux. Low clock
+ rate, low power mode. e.g. SiFive Freedom U310.
+ \item {\bf Mobile}: HARD. Performance/Watt matters $=>$ variable core
+ voltage domains {\it per core}. Number of pins matters (affects
+ yield and package cost). Cost
+ matters. Pinmux critical.
+ \end{itemize}
+ {\it Bottom line: Mobile-class processors are challenging!}
+}
+
+
+\frame{\frametitle{Proprietary vs Libre-licensed Interface HDL}
+
+ \begin{itemize}
+ \item DDR3/4: challenging! \$1m for single-use, single instance.\\
+ Symbiotic EDA: \$600k for PHY; CERN developed a Controller\\
+ http://libre-riscv.org/shakti/m\_class/DDR/
+ \item HyperRAM (JEDEC xSPI): lower risk than DDR3/4\\
+ http://libre-riscv.org/shakti/m\_class/HyperRAM/
+ \item RGMII: several available (saves \$50k)\\
+ http://libre-riscv.org/shakti/m\_class/RGMII/
+ \item UART, SPI, I2C, PWM, SD/MMC: all libre (except eMMC).
+ \item Shakti Group has FlexBus, QuadSPI, SRAM, many more.
+ \item RGB/TTL: R. Herveille (SSD2828, SN75LVDS83b, TFP410a)
+ \end{itemize}
+ {\it Basically there's no compelling reason to spend vast sums
+ on proprietary HDL. Sorry Cadence / Mentor / Synopsis / whoever}
+}
+
+
+\frame{\frametitle{Challenging Stuff [1] - Memory Interfaces}
+
+ \begin{itemize}
+ \item DDR3/4 PHYs are analog and very high speed.
+ Impedance training. Extreme timing tolerances on parallel buses.\\
+ No surprise they cost USD \$1m and above.
+ \item Symbiotic EDA will do (Libre) PHY layout for USD \$300k,
+ time to completion for chosen geometry: 8-12 months.
+ \end{itemize}
+ {\it Silicon-proven but still risky. What are the alternatives?}
+ \vspace{4pt}
+ \begin{itemize}
+ \item 133mhz 32-bit SDRAM (um...) maybe even FlexBus?
+ \item HyperRAM (aka JEDEC xSPI) 8-bit SPI 166mhz or DDR-300.\\
+ 300mbyte/sec for only 13 wires, not bad! (We'll take several)\\
+ http://libre-riscv.org/shakti/m\_class/HyperRAM/
+ \item HMC: insanely fast, very low power. OpenHMC (LGPL)
+ https://opencores.org/project/openhmc
+ \end{itemize}
+}
+
+
+\frame{\frametitle{Challenging Stuff [2] - Video Decode Engine}
+
+ \begin{itemize}
+ \item Richard Herveille's Video Core Blocks\\
+ https://opencores.org/project/video\_systems
+ \item Symbiotic EDA MP4 decoder in FPGA
+ \item H.264 seems to have been done...\\
+ https://github.com/adsc-hls/synthesizable\_h264
+ \item Really needs SIMD (or better, not-SIMD)\\
+ {http://libre-riscv.org/simple\_v\_extension/}
+ \item Definitely needs xBitManip (parallelised by Simple-V)\\
+ https://github.com/cliffordwolf/xbitmanip
+ \end{itemize}
+ {\it SIMD is insane. $O(N^6)$ opcode proliferation. See\\
+ https://www.sigarch.org/simd-instructions-considered-harmful/ \\
+ (1): P-Ext designed for Audio. (2): Investigate RI5CY's SIMD
+ }
+}
+
+
+\frame{\frametitle{Challenging Stuff [3] - Libre 3D GPU. Sigh.}
+
+ \begin{itemize}
+ \item Actual requirements quite modest: 30MP/s 100MT/s 5GFLOPS
+ but power/area is crucial ($2mm^2$ @ 40nm)
+ \item Nyuzi, MIAOW, GPLGPU (Number Nine), OGP.
+ \item Nyuzi based on Larrabee. Jeff Bush really helpful.
+ \item MIAOW is an OpenCL engine. GPLGPU is fixed-function
+ \item Nyuzi lessons: Software-only rendering not enough.
+ Getting through L1 cache takes most power. Fixed functions
+ such as parallel FP-Quad to ARGB Pixel, and Z-Buffer
+ needed.
+ \item Fallback is GC800 (\$250k) {\it contact me if you can do better!}
+ \end{itemize}
+ {\it Jacob Bachmeyer's Cache-control proposal turns L1 Cache into
+ scratchpad RAM. RVV is just too heavy (sorry!), Simple-V much
+ more light-weight and flexible ($O(1)$ ISA proliferation)
+ }
+}
+
+
\frame{\frametitle{TODO}
\begin{itemize}
\frame{\frametitle{Summary}
\begin{itemize}
- \item TODO
+ \item Making a commercially-desirable SoC is neither academically
+ nor standard-investor sexy! No AI. Boring. zzzz
+ \item Luckily there is an anonymous sponsor who needs an SoC that
+ doesn't exist (who knows the commercial benefits of Libre)
+ \item Shakti Group know the benefits (cost, sovereignty) of a Libre
+ Mobile-Class SoC as well (No spying on India citizens!)
+ \item A Libre GPU, even a modest performer (100T/s etc.)
+ is the biggest technical risk/unknown (besides DDR3/4).\\
+ (fall-back is GC800. Do please help with a Libre GPU!)
+ \item DDR3/4 and eMMC are the main high-risk interfaces\\
+ (there are fall-back strategies in place)
+ \item Ultimately the strategy is all about cost reduction
+ vs risk mitigation,
+ with Libre/Ethical prioritised over "convenience"
\end{itemize}
}
projects / libreriscv.git / blobdiff