Peter Clarke writes in EE Times . . .

“A loose-knit organization called OpenCores is offering a free 32-bit processor intellectual-property (IP) core in a move that could undermine such commercial IP licensors as ARM and MIPS.”

“Before the end of this month, engineers should be able to download VHDL description files and documentation for the OpenRISC 1000 core over the Internet at no charge. Engineers can already download a C language compiler free.”

“The engineers should then be able to work with the core, add to it, synthesize it for FPGA or ASIC implementation, and build a whole product line around it — all at no cost.”

“The one catch is that the OpenRISC 1000 comes with minimal support. So if engineers can't get the core to work, or if it is not all it's claimed to be, they are largely on their own.”

* Read full story *

 
This article was originally published on LinuxDevices.com and has been donated to the open source community by QuinStreet Inc. Please visit LinuxToday.com for up-to-date news and articles about Linux and open source.