Development of open source multicore system

Abstract

This project aims to create an open-source, cache-coherent multicore system that uses the combined processing power of multiple cores arranged in a network-on-chip (NoC) architecture. This semester, the project focused on understanding and implementing the basics of NoC architectures. It started with a detailed study of NoC concepts, including routing techniques and their importance in multicore systems. A simple 2x2 NoC model was developed to test basic functionality and identify challenges related to scaling and performance. In parallel, work was done on the Ibex core, an open-source RISC-V processor developed by the lowRISC community. Functional codes were successfully run on the core, providing insights into its design and capabilities. The study also covered cache coherence, focusing on its role in maintaining data consistency across cores, laying the groundwork for tackling these challenges in future work.