Achronix FPGAs Add Support for Bluespec's Linux-capable RISC-V Soft Processors to Enable Scalable Processing

Bluespec’s accelerator-ready RISC-V processors turn Achronix FPGAs into programmable SoCs

SANTA CLARA, Calif. & FRAMINGHAM, Mass.-- March 26, 2024-- Achronix Semiconductor Corporation, a leader in high-performance FPGAs and embedded FPGA (eFPGA) IP, and Bluespec, Inc., an industry leader in RISC-V tools and silicon IP, today announced a family of Linux-capable RISC-V soft processors that are available for the Achronix Speedster®7t FPGA family. Marking an industry first, Bluespec’s RISC-V processors now seamlessly integrate into the Achronix 2D network-on-chip (NoC) architecture, simplifying integration and enabling engineers to add scalable processing to their Achronix FPGA designs easily.

Bluespec’s RISC-V soft-core family adds software programmability to Speedster7t FPGA designs, simplifying system integration, increasing designers' productivity, and reducing time-to-market. The 2D NoC in Achronix Speedster7t FPGAs allows for easily integrating one or more RISC-V cores into the FPGA fabric. The 2D NoC allows multiple instances of the RISC-V core to be added and easily relocated to different areas of the FPGA fabric while maintaining performance. Developers have the flexibility to run C/C++ applications on bare metal or operating systems on hardware subsystems, with one to eight 64-bit processors individually configured with floating point instructions, custom instructions, and hardware accelerators.

Each processor’s accelerator ports enable memory management and software-driven configuration and control for high-bandwidth workload accelerators, speeding up the development and deployment of Speedster7t FPGA designs. Since developers can use proven and familiar technologies—including RISC-V, Linux, RTOS, and software multi-threading—this capability further accelerates the design process by minimizing learning curves.

“The Achronix Speedster7t FPGAs deliver powerful innovations such as the 2D NoC, allowing high-speed data transport and connectivity up to 20 Tbps of bandwidth. With the addition of Bluespec’s acceleration-ready RISC-V soft cores, the Achronix Speedster7t FPGAs can become full-fledged programmable SoCs,” said Charlie Hauck, CEO at Bluespec. “Our portfolio is designed to help developers speed up deployment time, and we look forward to seeing how our solutions help accelerate the adoption of RISC-V across different applications.”

“Bluespec’s deep expertise in silicon IP and long history of RISC-V innovation makes the company an ideal partner for Achronix,” said Nick Ilyadis, Vice President of Product Planning at Achronix. “The company’s Linux-capable RISC-V soft processors, paired with our high-performance and high-density FPGAs, help our customers differentiate their products and get to market faster.”

To learn more about Bluespec’s RISC-V soft processors for Achronix FPGAs, please visit: https://info.bluespec.com/achronix.

Contact Achronix for more information on how the Achronix and Bluespec collaboration can revolutionize your FPGA projects with Linux-capable RISC-V soft processors optimized for Achronix Speedster7t FPGAs: https://go.achronix.com/bluespec-achronix-risc-v-fpgas.

About Bluespec

Bluespec provides RISC-V tools and silicon IP that enable companies to exploit the freedom to innovate and reduce costs that RISC-V enables. We provide a complete RISC-V software development environment running on fast, hardware-accurate RISC-V cores in an FPGA-enabled cloud and a turnkey hardware acceleration tool for developing innovative, high-performance, low-power RISC-V subsystems. For more information on Bluespec, Inc., visit http://www.bluespec.com.

About Achronix Semiconductor Corporation

Achronix Semiconductor Corporation is a fabless semiconductor corporation based in Santa Clara, California, offering high-end FPGA-based data acceleration solutions designed to address high-performance, compute-intensive, and real-time processing applications. Achronix is the only supplier to have both high-performance, high-density standalone FPGAs and licensed eFPGA IP solutions. Achronix Speedster®7t FPGA and Speedcore™ eFPGA IP offerings are further enhanced by ready-to-use VectorPath® accelerator cards targeting AI, machine learning, networking and data center applications. All Achronix products are fully supported by the Achronix Tool Suite which enables customers to quickly develop their own custom applications.