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What is risc_v_32i?

dakshlohchab/risc_v_32i — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-05-18

2CAudience · researcherComplexity · 4/5Setup · hard

In one sentence

A modular 5-stage pipelined RISC-V RV32I processor built in SystemVerilog for FPGA simulation and learning computer architecture.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((RISC-V RV32I))
    What it does
      5-stage pipelined CPU
      RV32I instruction set
      Modular RTL design
    Tech stack
      SystemVerilog
      Xilinx Vivado
      FPGA
    Use cases
      Architecture coursework
      FPGA CPU implementation
      RTL verification practice
    Audience
      Students
      Hardware researchers
    Pipeline
      Fetch decode execute
      Memory access
      Write back

Code map

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What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Simulate and study a working 5-stage pipelined RISC-V processor for a computer architecture course.

USE CASE 2

Use it as a base design to synthesize and run a simple RISC-V CPU on an FPGA.

USE CASE 3

Learn RTL design and verification practices through a modular, real processor implementation.

USE CASE 4

Extend the processor with additional RISC-V instructions or new architectural features.

What is it built with?

SystemVerilogXilinx VivadoFPGA

How does it compare?

dakshlohchab/risc_v_32ialisharafiiii/sauron-eyecode-my-spec/ear_witness
Stars222
LanguageCCC
Setup difficultyhardhardhard
Complexity4/55/54/5
Audienceresearcherdeveloperdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · hard Time to first run · 1day+

Requires Xilinx Vivado for simulation and synthesis, plus RTL design familiarity.

The README says no specific open-source license has been chosen yet, so reuse or distribution terms are unclear.

So what is it?

This project is an implementation of a computer processor built from scratch, following the RISC-V RV32I instruction set, a well known open standard for how a simple 32 bit CPU should understand and execute instructions. It is written in SystemVerilog, a hardware description language used to design chips, rather than a programming language meant to run on an existing computer. The processor uses a five stage pipeline, meaning it breaks the work of running an instruction into five steps: fetching the instruction from memory, decoding what it means, executing the actual calculation, accessing memory if needed, and writing the result back to a register. Each stage is built as its own separate module, and dedicated registers pass information between stages, which lets the processor work on several instructions at once instead of waiting for each one to fully finish before starting the next. The design supports a solid range of RV32I instructions, including basic arithmetic like addition and subtraction, logical operations such as AND and OR, shifts, comparisons, memory loads and stores, branches, and jumps. It is built to be modular, so each piece can be understood, tested, and modified on its own, and the author designed it with an eye toward being extended later with more advanced features. This is meant to be simulated and synthesized using Xilinx Vivado, a professional tool for designing chips that can run on FPGAs, which are reprogrammable hardware chips. It is best suited for students and hobbyists studying computer architecture, people learning RTL design and verification, or anyone experimenting with building their own RISC-V processor. The README notes that no specific open-source license has been chosen yet, so anyone wanting to reuse or distribute this work should check with the author first.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Explain how the five pipeline stages in this RISC-V processor pass data to each other.
Prompt 2
Help me set up Xilinx Vivado to simulate this RV32I processor design.
Prompt 3
Walk me through which RV32I instructions this processor currently supports.
Prompt 4
Show me how to extend this processor with a new instruction category.

Frequently asked questions

What is risc_v_32i?

A modular 5-stage pipelined RISC-V RV32I processor built in SystemVerilog for FPGA simulation and learning computer architecture.

What language is risc_v_32i written in?

Mainly C. The stack also includes SystemVerilog, Xilinx Vivado, FPGA.

What license does risc_v_32i use?

The README says no specific open-source license has been chosen yet, so reuse or distribution terms are unclear.

How hard is risc_v_32i to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated hard, with roughly 1day+ to a first successful run.

Who is risc_v_32i for?

Mainly researcher.

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