Compute the Mandelbrot Set With a Custom RISC-V CPU

Compute the Mandelbrot Set With a Custom RISC-V CPU

When faced with an FPGA, some people might use it to visualize the Mandelbrot set. Others might use it to make CPUs. But what happens if you combine the two? [Michael Kohn] shows us what happens with his RISC-V CPU with an instruction specially made for computing the Mandelbrot set.


[Michael] takes us through the unusual process of turning his 8008 into a RISC-V CPU. Re-using bits of logic here and replacing other logic there leaves him with a functional RISC-V core. Not finished, [Michael] takes it upon himself to also create a custom instruction just for computing a point for the Mandelbrot set, accelerating the demo from twenty-three seconds to merely one!


Still not finished, [Michael] also creates an implementation of the long gone F100-L CPU, once again with added Mandelbrot set flair, simultaneously with the RISC-V project. Finally, he ports his “Java Grinder” Java bytecode compiler to both RISC-V and the F100-L, because Java runs on 1 Billion devicesTM.





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