The European ISOLDE project aims to strengthen the continent's technological sovereignty. FIT BUT is involved in solutions in the automotive sector.

A major European project with an ambitious goal is approaching its final phase: to transform the European technology scene by creating an open, high-performance, and secure microchip design capacity ecosystem built around the RISC-V microchip architecture. This could reduce Europe's dependence on non-European microchip suppliers. The ISOLDE project has been running since May 2023 and is currently scheduled to end in May 2026. Funded under the Chips Joint Undertaking (Chips JU), a public-private partnership within the pan-European Horizon Europe program, the project brings together a consortium of 37 partners and 2 associated partners from leading European research institutions and industries. Institutions and organizations from nine European countries are represented. These include FIT VUT, represented by the principal investigator for FIT, Prof. Pavel Zemčík, and Ing. Václav Šimek.

RISC-V is an open microchip architecture (processor instruction set) that allows for free customization and sharing of designs. The project's roots date back to the University of California, Berkeley, and the year 2010. The RISC-V architecture allows for the wide use of microchips based on it in embedded systems, mobile phones, automotive, or even IoT devices. Thanks to the open-source nature of the outputs, European companies will be able to develop and improve chips without licensing restrictions, which supports innovation and independence from proprietary technologies.

FIT VUT contributes to the project as part of a Czech consortium that also includes the Czech branch of NXP (which deals with control algorithms) and Codasip (modification of hardware architecture in cooperation with experts from FIT). The consortium focuses on development in the automotive application area, specifically on the functionality and control of various types of engines and motors used, for example, in cars (window lowering, power steering, etc.). Currently, processors based on ARM core variants are predominantly used in the automotive sector, but this is a licensed solution. The aim is therefore to develop our own solution based on RISC-V architecture, which will be open-source. Work is underway to modify the instruction set and, consequently, the hardware solution of the architecture so that motor control algorithms (such as FOC and MPC) can be executed efficiently within the given RISC-V architecture (in terms of the required chip area, power consumption, and execution speed). The end result should be a practical technology demonstrator, e.g., in the form of a development board with FGPA. The RISC-V design will be described in SystemVerilog at the RTF level, adds Václav Šimek. He himself points out that the project also has a specific impact on studies at the faculty: Currently, three bachelor's theses and one master's thesis are being prepared in connection with it.

The goal of the ISOLDE project is to advance the proposed high-performance processors and IP blocks based on the RISC-V architecture to TRL 8 technological readiness level by the time the project is completed. Approximately two years after completion, the first components are expected to be integrated into industrial products. To ensure long-term sustainability and availability, ISOLDE is initiating the creation of an open-source ecosystem for development, verification, and maintenance. Currently, the project has developed methodologies that enable the smooth integration of open-source and proprietary IP blocks and ensure effective interoperability, as well as the first implementations of demonstration solutions across key sectors such as aerospace, automotive, and IoT. In the final phase of the project, efforts will focus on production-ready designs, prototypes based on FPGA technologies, expanded industrial collaboration, and preparation for the deployment of the developed solutions. The progress of the project shows that Europe can take on a key role in the field of open computing innovation.