Synopsys announced its plans for expanding its processor intellectual property portfolio with the new RISC-V ARC-V family.

That means the company is introducing designs for its next-generation ARC-V processor, using the RISC-V architecture, for chip applications in the embedded automotive, storage, and internet of things markets.

Synopsys said the new IP is aimed at offering customers a versatile and extensible range of processors, ensuring optimal power-performance efficiency tailored for their specific applications. The company made the announcement at the RISC-V North America 2023 event in Santa Clara, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley.

Leveraging its extensive experience in processor IP development and software toolkits, Synopsys has crafted this next-gen ARC-V Processor IP, which builds upon the established microarchitecture of its existing ARC Processors, enriched by the expansive RISC-V software ecosystem.

Diverse options for different workloads

The Synopsys ARC-V Processor IP comes in high-performance, mid-range, ultra-low power, and functional safety versions, accommodating a wide spectrum of application workloads. To facilitate software development, Synopsys has equipped the ARC-V Processor IP with the robust and proven Synopsys MetaWare Development Toolkit, ensuring the generation of highly efficient code.

Synopsys.ai, a full-stack AI-driven electronic design automatin (EDA) suite, is co-optimized with the ARC-V Processor IP, creating a comprehensive development and verification environment that enhances productivity and quality-of-results for systems-on-chip (SoCs) based on ARC-V.

Evolving the semiconductor ecosystem

Once upon a time, Synopsys provided just tools to design chips. Now the ecosystem is changing and is gaining more experience designing chips.

As the automotive industry and others seek resilience within the semiconductor ecosystem, there’s a growing push towards open standards such as RISC-V. This move aligns with the adoption of safety-certified RISC-V-based processor IP by Synopsys, supporting high-performance automotive systems with functional safety. Leading industry players, like Infineon, are excited about this advancement, emphasizing the need for open standards to build robust automotive solutions.

“The increasing numbers of chips in automotive systems demand resilience in the semiconductor ecosystem, and to that end the industry is pushing for the adoption of open standards like RISC-
V,” said Thomas Boehm, senior vice president for automotive microcontrollers at Infineon, in a statement. “By developing safety-certified RISC-V based processor IP, Synopsys is supporting us to expand the architecture choices with an open standard to build high-performance automotive systems with the highest levels of functional safety, and we look forward to continuing to partner with them in our future products.”

“The global adoption of the open-standard RISC-V ISA is defining the future of semiconductor design, and it’s through the commitment and advancements from technology innovators like Synopsys that RISC-V continues to accelerate the future of computing,” said Calista Redmond, CEO of RISC-V International, in a statement. “Synopsys ARC-V Processor IP, combined with the company’s co-optimized EDA and verification solutions, contribute to greater flexibility and choice in the RISC-V ecosystem for the benefit of chip design across industries.”

Decades of expertise

Synopsys has a history of delivering power-efficient and scalable ARC Processors used in billions of SoCs across automotive, storage, consumer, and IoT applications. This expertise has allowed the company to support the RISC-V ISA with ultra-configurable, extensible processors that enable developers to differentiate their SoCs, optimizing the power, performance, and area balance.

Synopsys also offers a range of tools and technologies to expedite the design and verification of SoCs using their RISC-V ARC-V Processor IP. This includes Synopsys.ai, Fusion QuickStart Implementation Kits, verification solutions, and a Cloud SaaS platform to streamline design processes.

Synopsys has also taken a significant step by joining the RISC-V International board of directors and technical steering committee, underlining its commitment to shaping the future of computing architecture standards and promoting the industry adoption of the RISC-V ISA.

Availability

The Synopsys ARC-V Processor IP portfolio is expected to be generally available in 2024. The 32-bit Synopsys ARC-V RMX embedded processor IP is scheduled for availability in Q2 of 2024, while the 32-bit Synopsys ARC-V RHX real-time processor IP and 64-bit Synopsys ARC-V RPX host processor IP will follow in the second half of 2024.