Soft core (synthesis)
A soft core (also called softcore) is a digital circuit that can be wholly implemented using logic synthesis. It can be implemented via different semiconductor devices containing programmable logic (e.g., ASIC, FPGA, CPLD), including both high-end and commodity variations.[1] Many soft cores may be implemented in one FPGA.[2] In those multi-core systems, rarely used resources can be shared between all the cores.
Examples of soft-core implementations are soft microprocessors, graphics chips like AGA or Open Graphics Project, hard disc controllers etc.
See also
- SoC (System-on-a-chip)
- PSoC (Programmable System on a Chip)
- FPGA (Field-programmable gate array)
- Reconfigurable computing
- Minimig - Example implementation of custom chips replications
- Open-source hardware
- List of open source hardware projects
References
- ^ Felch, Andrew (2011-10-07). "Zet soft core running Windows 3.0". The Daily Circuit. Archived from the original on 2018-10-13.
- ^ Maxfield, Clive (2006). "FPGA Architectures from 'A' to 'Z' : Part 2". Embedded.com. Archived from the original on 2007-10-08.
External links
- Microprocessor cores on Opencores.org (Expand the "Processor" tab)