Bluespec Inc. announced its new MCUX RISC-V processor, making it easy for developers to implement custom instructions and add accelerators to FPGAs and ASICs. The MCUX is an extension of Bluespec’s MCU RISC-V processor family, which is targeted at ultralow resource utilization on FPGAs. Bluespec’s MCUX processor builds on this legacy with more customization opportunities in addition to supporting vendor choice since the MCUX is fully portable across all major FPGA architectures and ASIC technologies.
 
Bluespec’s MCUX embedded processor is designed for applications that require a small processor for configuration and control of custom modules, IO devices, sensors, actuators, and accelerators, as well as software programmable replacements for fixed-hardware finite state machines. This makes the MCUX ideally suited for machine vision, video decoding, audio decoding, and radar signaling applications, among many other use cases for the edge, industrial automation, defense, IoT, and beyond.
 
With the MCUX processor, developers have the flexibility to implement custom instructions tailored to application requirements to speed up critical and/or common operations, reduce memory access, and improve efficiency. The ability to add custom instructions is a key benefit of the open RISC-V standard and is a critical requirement to meet today’s complex computing standards.
 
Bluespec’s MCUX is able to operate at a high frequency, allowing for integration into designs without crossing clock domains. Designs that do not require a high-frequency operation benefit from extra timing slack without an impact on timing closure.