Without a doubt, 2023 will be remembered as “the year we put AI in everything.” And this allows us to learn about some truly curious cases with revolutionary potential. For example, what Chinese researchers have developed an artificial intelligence model capable of designing a RISC-V processor in less than 5 hours.
The approach of this project is very interesting, because it can mean a crucial advance for AI applied to the semiconductor industry. Of course, this is the first step on a long path and one that will surely require much more research and development. But the first results are more than striking.
The work of Chinese experts its titled “Pushing the Boundaries of Machine Design: AI Automated CPU Design”. In it, the scientists explain that they created an artificial intelligence model, in their quest to design a new industrial-scale RISC-V processor in record time.
Thanks to this technology, they claim that the automated process was completed. 1,000 times faster than would have required human designers to create such a CPU. Of course, the RISC-V processor created by artificial intelligence is far from offering top-of-the-line performance. However, just the fact that an AI has managed to design a functional component is truly shocking.
Using AI to design a RISC-V processor
Before moving forward, It is worth remembering that RISC-V is a “free and open” type of processor.. This means that anyone can design and manufacture it, without having to pay licences, patents or royalties. is the alternative open source to ARM and has already captured the attention of large corporations such as Intel and Apple.
The researchers did not train the AI model using code, but rather a system that consisted of observing a series of CPU inputs and outputs. Once the machine learning process was complete, the platform was able to generate the RISC-V processor design in question. It was then fabricated using a 65-nanometer process and was capable of running at a speed of up to 300MHz.
According to collect Tom’s Hardwaretests performed on the chip running Linux kernel version 5.15 yielded a performance similar to an Intel i486. Yes, the comparison with a microprocessor more than 30 years old may not be so flattering. But we return to the above: that it is not a chip with top-of-the-line performance, does not mean that it is not an important advance.
The researchers in charge of this project point out that their RISC-V processor is the first CPU in the world designed from scratch by artificial intelligence. In addition, they consider that their results could reduce semiconductor design cycles. But not only that; they also presume that their AI model was able to discover von Neumann architecture from scratch, just like other optimization processes. The latter, they consider could be transcendental so that machines can evolve automatically.
“Once machines can design a CPU on an industrial scale without human intervention, it will not only advance the semiconductor industry revolution by significantly increasing design efficiency, but also push the limits of machine design to approximate the human performance. More importantly, the ability to design a machine itself—that is, self-design—could serve as a fundamental step toward building self-evolving machines.”
Of course, some companies in the semiconductor sector have already incorporated AI into the development of their products. Especially to optimize your design. However, what the Chinese researchers propose can change the game. And it could even give a big boost to free hardware projects based on RISC-V.