Brazil and Europe sign innovative project with RISC-V technology for HPC

An international collaboration between BSC and Instituto ELDORADO will enable Brazil to develop open-source RISC-V technologies to accelerate research and development in the areas of semiconductors and supercomputing

April 15, 2024 -- Pushing the boundaries of High Performance Computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence is the main objective of an innovative project that marks the beginning of the journey towards developing a Matrix Multiplication Acceleration Unit, integrated into a RISC-V processor.

The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding consolidates this partnership between Instituto ELDORADO, supported by researchers from the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), and the Barcelona Supercomputing Center – Centro Nacional de Superocmputación (BSC-CNS), one of the largest European supercomputing centers and a pioneer in the development of the open standard RISC-V in chips.

The initiative is part of the Priority Program for National Interest (PPI-Softex) and is aligned with the support of the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI) in establishing technological partnerships between Brazil and the European Union, strengthening knowledge exchange and support for excellence in research and development. Recently, Brazil became a Premier Member of the RISC-V International organization, which reinforces the country's commitment to global technological development.

Partnership for innovation

In the constantly evolving landscape of HPC, open RISC-V processors are promising to revolutionize the way we deal with computational tasks. These processors, which follow an open Instruction Set Architecture standard, without royalties and with global contribution, are gaining prominence for their customization and expandability. They offer unmatched flexibility and efficiency compared to traditional proprietary architectures.

In this project, a Matrix Acceleration Unit will be developed based on a processor that offers this flexibility and high performance. Working in collaboration with researchers from University of Campinas, BSC and ELDORADO are already discussing proposals for high-performance architectures, strengthening knowledge in RISC-V for HPC.

The Memorandum of Understanding marks the starting point of a collaborative journey to address the complex technological challenges of the 21st century and shape the future of innovation, both in Brazil and worldwide.