Founded in 2014 lowRISC is a remarkable organization. It’s a not-for-profit company based right here in Cambridge. lowRISC pioneers open-source silicon designs. They collaborate with other organizations globally. This collaborative approach is key to their success.
lowRISC’s impact extends far beyond Cambridge. Their work benefits the entire tech world. They develop and maintain open-source silicon designs and tools. This includes the OpenTitan project. OpenTitan is the world’s first open-source silicon Root of Trust. It’s designed for data centers storage and other hardware. Google ETH Zurich and several other companies partner with lowRISC on OpenTitan.
Another significant contribution is the Ibex CPU core. Ibex is a 32-bit RISC-V CPU core. It’s used in OpenTitan and other projects. Initially developed at ETH Zurich and the University of Bologna Ibex’s development was taken over by lowRISC in 2018. It’s a testament to lowRISC’s commitment to open-source hardware.
lowRISC also spearheaded the upstreaming of the RISC-V LLVM backend. Alex Bradbury from lowRISC is the code owner. This is a crucial component of the RISC-V ecosystem. It highlights lowRISC’s technical expertise and influence. They’ve even created a prototype 64-bit SoC design. It’s capable of running Linux.
lowRISC’s history is fascinating. It began as a spin-out from the University of Cambridge Computer Lab. The founders Alex Bradbury Robert Mullins and Gavin Ferris aimed for a fully open-source SoC and low-cost development board. Their vision is now a reality. lowRISC continues to shape the future of open-source hardware. They’re a vital part of Cambridge’s thriving tech scene. Their work has global implications. They have made significant strides in secure and transparent computing. They are truly at the forefront of innovation.