Efinix® Brings 64-Bit RISC-V Performance With New Sapphire™ RV64 SoC
Efinix Inc., a company specializing in FPGA technology for edge AI innovation, has announced the Sapphire RV64 SoC. This new offering is a 64-bit RISC-V processor core designed to expand the company's existing Sapphire SoC suite, providing embedded designers with a high-performance, configurable processor platform that maintains a small, low-power footprint.
The Sapphire RV64 SoC is built upon the RISC-V Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) and addresses the growing needs of applications that have surpassed the performance, addressable memory, cache, and I/O limitations of traditional 32-bit embedded cores. It offers a crucial upgrade path for customers already utilizing Efinix's 32-bit Sapphire SoCs, allowing them to scale their systems without requiring a complete re-architecture.
A key differentiator of the Sapphire RV64 is its configurable, FPGA-native approach, which now includes larger addressable memory, enhanced caching, and advanced debug capabilities essential for 64-bit embedded Linux and AI workloads. This core provides the necessary headroom for increasingly sophisticated embedded and edge AI systems, while preserving the low power consumption and configurability that are hallmarks of the Sapphire SoC suite. It also features custom instruction capability, enabling intuitive FPGA acceleration within a software-defined flow for rapid time-to-market.
Source Link: Press Release
Specifications
| Product | Function | Architecture | Pipeline Stages | ISA Extensions | On-chip RAM | Cache | Memory Controller | Max Memory Speed | Linux Support | Supported FPGAs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sapphire RV64 SoC | 64-bit RISC-V processor core | RISC-V64IM ISA | Seven-stage | Optional A, F, D, C, Zba, Zbb, Zbs, Zicbom | 4 to 512 KB | Multi-way L1 (instruction & data), Optional L2 | DDR3, HyperRAM, LPDDR4x | 3,200 Mbps | Optional SV39 MMU | Titanium, Topaz, Trion (T20+) |
Key Features
- 64-bit RISC-V processor core, expanding the Sapphire SoC suite for high-performance, configurable embedded designs.
- Built on the RISC-V Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) with a seven-stage pipeline implementing the RISC-V64IM ISA and optional extensions (A, F, D, C, Zba, Zbb, Zbs, Zicbom).
- Offers 4 to 512 KB of on-chip RAM, multi-way L1 cache, and optional L2 cache, branch predictor, and hardware/software pre-fetchers for improved performance.
- Provides Linux support through an optional SV39 memory management unit.
- Memory controller supports DDR3, HyperRAM, and LPDDR4x operation at up to 3,200 Mbps for optimized AI workloads.
- Includes extensive debug support and native FPGA co-debug capabilities for rapid development.
- Features custom instruction capability for intuitive FPGA acceleration in a software-defined flow.
- Configured via the Efinity IP Manager and supported by the Efinity Integrated Development Environment for a complete RTL-to-bitstream design flow.
- Software development, debugging, and BSP integration are supported by the Eclipse-based Efinity RISC-V Embedded Software IDE.
- Available for all Titanium FPGAs, all Topaz FPGAs, and Trion devices (T20 and above).
Applications
- Edge AI innovation and state-of-the-art edge AI systems
- Embedded Linux workloads requiring 64-bit processing
- Optimized AI workloads, leveraging enhanced memory performance
- Industrial automation
- Machine vision
- Automotive systems
- Physical AI and edge computing
Availability
Efinix’s Sapphire™ RV64 SoC, a configurable 64-bit RISC-V processor core for embedded FPGA designs, is now available for Titanium and Topaz FPGAs and supported Trion devices. The SoC features a configurable one-to-four-core architecture, enhanced cache options, and support for DDR3, LPDDR4x, and HyperRAM memory, making it suitable for high-performance embedded computing applications. It is configured through the Efinity® IP Manager and supported by the Efinity development environment.
