Baochip-1x: A Mostly-Open, 22nm SoC for High Assurance Applications
Andrew 'Bunnie' Huang has developed the Baochip-1x, a mostly-open 22nm system-on-chip designed for high assurance applications where every transistor must be accounted for.
For most people, standard microcontrollers or system-on-chips (SoCs) from preferred vendors are sufficient. However, those working in high assurance computing face challenges requiring complete transistor accountability. This gap led Andrew 'Bunnie' Huang to develop the Baochip-1x, addressing this specific need in the semiconductor landscape.
Technical Specifications
The Baochip-1x's design draws heavily from the FPGA-based CPU in the Precursor device, which is claimed to be a fully verifiable communicator design. It includes an MMU, allowing it to run any software supporting the RV32IMAC RISC-V instruction set. The SoC contains a single-core 350 MHz VexRISC-V processor, 4 MB resistive RAM (RRAM), and 2 MB of SRAM, along with numerous security-related features.
Availability and Documentation
Developers have multiple options for the Baochip-1x, including a DIY assembly process and pre-built hardware. The 'Dabao' evaluation board features a Raspberry Pi Pico-shaped form factor. Documentation includes a Coder's Guide, along with SystemVerilog and Verilog-based sources for those interested in implementing this SoC.
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