SHAKTI: An Open-Source Processor Ecosystem

Abstract

Processors have become ubiquitous in all the appliances and machines we use, in both consumer and industrial settings. These processors range from extremely small and low power micro-controllers (used in motor controls, home robots and appliances) to high-performance multi-core processors (used in servers and supercomputers). However, the growth of modern AI/ML environments (like Caffe[Jia et al. 2014], Tensorflow[Abadi et al. 2016]) and the need for features like enhanced security has forced the industry to look beyond general purpose solutions and towards domain-specific-customizations. While a large number of companies today can develop custom ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Chips) and license specific silicon blocks from chip-vendors to develop a customized SoCs (System on Chips), at the heart of every design is the processor and the associated hardware. To serve modern workloads better, these processors also need to be customized, upgraded, re-designed and augmented suitably. This requires that vendors/consumers have access to appropriate processor variants and the flexibility to make modifications and ship them at an affordable cost.