Re: [Libreboot-dev] about Intel ME

[Denis 'GNUtoo' Carikli]

Serge <address@hidden> wrote: 
> Also woth mentioning is the SPARC--there are multiple implementations
> (LEON, T1, S1, T2) that for which the VHDL/Verilog source files are
> GPL licensed.
As far as I understand, the SPARC source code published by SUN is very
well adapted to ASICs.

Processors like the LEON(which is based on it if I remember well) are
instead adapted to FPGAs.

We also have other free software CPU and SOCs such as:
- The Milkymist SOC, with a good DDR3 RAM controller.
- RiscV.
- Many other.

As fabricating an ASIC is still incredibly expensive, we would need
many buyers if we go this road.

In the meantime, we have FPGAs.
The issue is that there is no free software compiler-equivalent[1] for
most FPGAs. As far as I know, the only FPGA family with one is the ICE40
from Lattice.

References:
-----------
[1]To build software you use a compiler, like GCC. This transforms the
   source code in a binary that you can run.
   FPGAs have something very similar called "synthesizer': This
   transform the hardware description language source(VHDL, Veriblog),
   in a binary that will configure the FPGA.

Denis.

pgpuxj6YKYUrM.pgp
Description: OpenPGP digital signature