We are delighted to have been selected as a mentoring organisation for the Free and Open Source Silicon Foundation’s participation in Google Summer of Code 2017. This is presently focused around two project ideas that make use of the LimeSDR platform:
- Integrate RISC-V Core
- Switch to a FuseSoC-based Development Flow
The first of these would see the NIOS-II processor that is currently being used for USB/SPI interfacing being replaced with an open source core implementing the RISC-V instruction set.
The second project involves structuring the repository and adding the required infrastructure files for FuseSoC, so that this can be used to manage the dependencies and composition of hardware blocks for the softcore processor, along with glue logic, DSP and sample time-stamping etc.
For further details, see the GSoC 2017 ideas page on the FOSSi Foundation website and perhaps take a look at the LimeSDR-USB_GW repository.
Have an idea for another great open source digital design project using LimeSDR that you’d like to work on? We’d love to hear from you and should be able to find a suitable mentor. There is plenty of scope for all manner of other exciting projects which make use of the LimeSDR’s FPGA!
About Google Summer of Code
For those unfamiliar with GSoC, it is described as “a global program focused on introducing students to open source software development. Students work on a 3 month programming project with an open source organization during their break from university.” With some pretty impressive figures and since it’s inception 12 years ago can lay claim to:
- 12,000+ student participants
- 11,000 mentors
- Participation from across 127 countries
- Producing 30,000,000+ lines of code for 568 open source organizations
It really is a fantastic initiative that has made a huge contribution to the open source community over the years, and we are thrilled at the opportunity to be able to take part and mentor students via the Free and Open Source Silicon Foundation’s participation in the program.