Flexible RISC-V processor offers prospect of low-cost smart objects

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Flexible circuit pioneer Pragmatic Semiconductor Ltd. has reported the development of a non-silicon RISC-V processor that operates while being flexed and is also the first flexible processor with machine learning capabilities.

www.eenewsanalog.com, Sept. 30, 2024 – 

The paper 'Bendable non-silicon RISC-V microprocessor' was published in Nature.

In the past Pragmatic has produced a series of demonstrator flexible processors based on indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) thin-film transistor process technology. These include the PlasticARM.While the plastic ARM core was based on 0.8-micron IGZO n-type TFTs the Flex-RV is a 32-bit microprocessor developed on a 0.6 micron IGZO TFT technology on a flexible polyimide substrate, enabling a low-cost bendable microprocessor. As with previous designs there are four routable metal layers and one redistribution layer and the logic is unipolar using n-type TFTs and pull-up resistors.

Being fully programmable with 32-bit and ML processing capability the Flex-RV open up the prospect of low-cost intelligence additions to healthcare systems, wearables and packaging, the company said.

Flex-RV is based on the bit-serial SERV RISC-V open-source core and has been shown to operate at 60 kHz consuming less than 6mW power. The research team also designed a machine learning accelerator that is a single instruction multiple data (SIMD) engine for speeding up matrix multiplication. Four new instructions were added to the RV32E ISA so that the accelerator can be programmed.

The flexible IGZO processor continued to operate while being flexed and unflexed to a minimum radius of curvature of about 5mm.

Emre Ozer, Pragmatic's senior director of processor development, and lead researcher, said: "Enabling an open-standard, non-silicon 32-bit microprocessor will democratise access to computing, unlocking emerging applications while opening the door to sub-dollar compute."

He added: "By enabling scalable, low-cost compute in a flexible form factor – in combination with the rapid turnaround and low non-recurring engineering costs associated with our FlexIC Foundry – we really are ushering in a step-change in the art of the possible for flexible electronic systems."

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