PicoRV32

PicoRV32 is a small, open-source 32-bit RISC-V processor core designed for field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and embedded systems. It was created by Clifford Wolf and is released under a permissive open-source license. The core is implemented in synthesizable Verilog and targets a lightweight footprint suitable for resource-constrained devices and educational use.

Architecture and scope: PicoRV32 implements the RV32IM instruction set and uses a simple, in-order, single-issue pipeline. It emphasizes compactness and ease of integration, trading some performance for a minimal hardware footprint. The design exposes a straightforward memory interface and can be extended with optional peripherals and interrupt support as part of a larger system.

Implementation and integration: The core is intended to be plugged into FPGA-based systems and is commonly used as the CPU backbone in small soft-cores such as PicoSoC. It connects to a memory system via a compact bus interface and can drive on-chip RAM or external memories. It supports basic firmware tasks, including initialization, I/O, and simple control loops. It is not aimed at running modern operating systems.

Licensing and availability: The project is open-source under a permissive license; the code and documentation are hosted on public repositories, and it has an active community. It is widely used in education, hobbyist projects, and compact open hardware designs.