X-HEEP Workshop: Enabling rapid and sustainable RISC-V based research using open source HW and SW

As our world becomes more interconnected and reliant on digital systems, the need for transparency, accessibility, and collaborative innovation in hardware and software design has become paramount. Closed and proprietary solutions often limit user sovereignty and control, hinder interoperability, and stifle innovation by locking users into a specific ecosystem. In contrast, open-source initiatives are leading towards rapid prototyping of novel ideas and systems and unlocking from any specific vendor by empowering academic and industrial users to control, modify, and build upon existing technology. This workshop will bring both academic and industry members into a discussion about open-source hardware (HW) and software (SW) interests and showcase the potential of open-source technology with the eXtendable Heterogeneous Energy-Efficient Platform, X-HEEP.

X-HEEP is an EU and RISC-V-based enabler platform for rapid and sustainable VLSI/ASIC system design, automation, and testing. Following the success stories of open-source projects in the SW ecosystem, with Linux kernel as the best example, X-HEEP aims to foster innovative, easy-to-integrate, easy-to-use ASIC-oriented technology. Similarly, other open-source HW initiatives, such as OpenHW Group, OpenRoad, and SkyWater are already revolutionising the semiconductor industry by democratising chip design via open-source IPs, EDA tools, and PDKs. To this end, X-HEEP enables HW research and freely delivers industrial-grade, silicon-proven open-source CPU IPs from OpenHW. Together with our academic and industrial partners, we will showcase the usage of X-HEEP for

1. SW engineers to deploy end-to-end applications,
2. HW engineers to integrate and evaluate their own IPs, and
3. system-level designers to architect a full system using its configurability and extendibility capabilities.

Open-source HW and SW are becoming essential in the rapidly evolving technological landscape. This workshop fosters a shared knowledge and creativity culture, enabling a broader range of applications, from affordable healthcare devices to sustainable energy solutions. It stands as a critical pillar for a more inclusive, innovative, and sustainable technological future.

Call for Posters

To improve the discussion possibilities among junior and senior researchers, in this workshop, a Poster Competition is scheduled. We invite submissions on, but not limited to, the following topics:

• Open-source SW applications (end-to-end) being deployed into open-source Systems (SoC, NoC, SiP, etc)
• Open-source HW Accelerators integrated into open-source Systems (SoC, NoC, SiP, etc).
• Open-source systems (SoC, NoC, SiP, etc) offering extra versatility and configurability in comparison to COTS solutions.

A submission can describe a novel scientific result, provide a position statement about a new and relevant problem, or report a case study on practical experiences with a topic from the list above. The submissions should not be formally published in the past. The workshop will have no formal proceedings. Accepted posters can, at the discretion and with an approval of their authors, be published on the workshop’s website.

CALL FOR POSTERS

Author instructions:

Submissions in form of 1-page PDF file in Pentachart format (possible template in here) should be submitted through SoftConf:

SUBMISSIONS

Key dates

Registration

This workshop is co-located with the Design, Automation and Test in Europe Conference and will use its registration facilities. Please register through the DATE website. The early-bird deadline is January 24, 2024

REGISTRATION

Workshop organizers
David Atienza, ESL, EPFL, Switzerland
Davide Schiavone, ESL, EPFL, Switzerland
Jose Miranda, ESL, EPFL, Switzerland
Alfonso Rodríguez, CEI, UPM, Spain
Alessio Burrello, Polytechnic of Turin, Italy
Daniele Jahier Pagliari, Polytechnic of Turin, Italy
Maurizio Martina, Polytechnic of Turin, Italy

Workshop co-organizers and main contributors
Mr. Juan Sapriza, ESL, EPFL, Switzerland
Mr. Ruben Rodriguez, ESL, EPFL, Switzerland
Mr. Hossein Taji, ESL, EPFL, Switzerland
Mr. Simone Machetti, ESL, EPFL, Switzerland
Mr. Stefano Albini, ESL, EPFL, Switzerland
Embecosm, UK