RISC-V Research

Here we summarize our activities related to RISC-V. Besides papers, the Institute for Complex Systems (ICS) contributes via open-source tools, benchmarks and more.

New: Our virtual prototype RISCV-VP++ is available now at our ICS GitHub. RISCV VP++ allows very fast Linux bootup, VNC, Vector Extension (RVV), 3D-game demos, and more! Take a look at the GUI-VP Kit to get a quick and easy-to-use starting point for experimenting with RISCV-VP++, Linux and interactive graphical applications.

VP Model

• A RISC-V “V” VP: Unlocking Vector Processing for Evaluation at the System Level (DATE 2024)
• RISC-V VP++: Next generation open-source virtual prototype (OSDA 2024)
• GUI-VP Kit: A RISC-V VP meets Linux graphics - enabling interactive graphical application development (GLSVLSI 2023)
• Adaptive simulation with Virtual Prototypes in an open-source RISC-V evaluation platform (JSA 2021)
• RISC-V based virtual prototype: An extensible and configurable platform for the system-level (JSA 2020)
• Extensible and configurable RISC-V based virtual prototype (FDL 2018)

VP Model & Cross-Level Verification

• Single instruction isolation for RISC-V vector test failures (ICCAD 2024)
• Bounded load/stores in grammar-based code generation for testing the RISC-V vector extension (RISC-V Summit Europe 2024)
• Verifying SystemC TLM peripherals using modern C++ symbolic execution tools (DAC 2022)
• An exploration platform for microcoded RISC-V cores leveraging the one instruction set computer principle (ISVLSI 2022)
• Efficient cross-level processor verification using coverage-guided fuzzing (GLSVLSI 2022)
• Efficient cross-level testing for processor verification: A RISC-V case-study (FDL 2020) (Received Best Paper Award)
• Early verification of ISA extension specifications using deep reinforcement learning (GLSVLSI 2020)
• Fast and accurate performance evaluation for RISC-V using virtual prototypes (DATE 2020)
• Verifying instruction set simulators using coverage-guided fuzzing (DATE 2019)

Analysis, Debugging and Visualization

• An extensible and flexible methodology for analyzing the cache performance of hardware designs (FDL 2024)
• Surfer: a waveform viewer as dynamic as RISC-V (RISC-V Summit Europe 2024)
• WAVING Goodbye to Manual Waveform Analysis in HDL Design with WAL (TCAD 2024 open-access)
• A DSL for visualizing pipelines: A RISC-V case study (RISC-V Summit Europe 2023)
• Improving design understanding of processors leveraging datapath clustering (DATE 2023)
• Programming language assisted waveform analysis: A case study on the instruction performance of SERV (OSDA 2023)
• Programmable analysis of RISC-V processor simulations using WAL (DVCon Europe 2022)
• RVVRadar: a framework for supporting the programmer in vectorization for RISC-V (GLSVLSI 2022)
• Late breaking results: Waveform-based performance analysis of RISC-V processors (DAC 2022)
• WAL: a novel waveform analysis language for advanced design understanding and debugging (ASP-DAC 2022)

Software/Firmware/Microcode Verification

• Relation coverage: A new paradigm for hardware/software testing (ETS 2024)
• Verifying embedded graphics libraries leveraging virtual prototypes and metamorphic testing (ASP-DAC 2024)
• Formal verification of SUBLEQ microcode implementing the RV32I ISA (FDL 2022) (Received Best Paper Award)
• RVX - a tool for concolic testing of embedded binaries targeting RISC-V platforms (ATVA 2020)
• Verification of embedded binaries using coverage-guided fuzzing with SystemC-based virtual prototypes (GLSVLSI 2020)
• Systematic RISC-V based firmware design (FDL 2019)
• Early Concolic Testing of Embedded Binaries with Virtual Prototypes: A RISC-V Case Study (DAC 2019)

RTL Verification

• EPEX: processor verification by equivalent program execution (GLSVLSI 2021)

Compliance Testing

• Towards RISC-V CSR Compliance Testing (ESL 2021)
• Closing the RISC-V compliance gap: Looking from the negative testing side (DAC 2020)
• Towards specification and testing of RISC-V ISA compliance (DATE 2020)

Security

• Dynamic information flow tracking for embedded binaries using SystemC-based virtual prototypes (DAC 2020)