But in the case of ARM, you _do_ know, if you manufacture it yourself. ARM licenses intellectual property, not sells chips. Once you buy a license, you can inspect it and make sure it doesn’t have the bits you don’t like.
Re:An ARM killer from IIT-M?
by gsmadhusudan on Monday November 13, 2017 @03:29AM
(#15685098)
That means I have to develop all the code from scratch anyway. the arch lic just gets me a ISA spec doc.Might as well start with another ISA that is free. But the issue is bigger. Shakti is also an exercise in using a high level HDL. We would not exist but for Bluespec, we really get a 6x to 10x productivity increase over Verilog. I also get the ability to do true formal proving of the correctness of my code. There is a reason why DARPA hose bluespec for their secure processor work.
Re:An ARM killer from IIT-M?
by TickleSteve on Monday November 13, 2017 @07:55AM
(#15686141)
No, an ARM license gets you the implementation of a core in source form.
You are free to modify it if needed, as many licensees do.
Depends on the license.
Re:An ARM killer from IIT-M?
by retailbuyout on Monday November 13, 2017 @09:51AM
(#15686842)
My understanding is that you also need to license from intel if you have a chip.
There are also security reasons for wanting to make a processor for India. “We don’t know really whether the processor we are getting from outside is trustworthy. Is it secure?” asks Kamakoti. “Suppose I want variants of a processor, for different needs – not just strategic, even civilian needs – I have to basically rely on the processor available to me, and fit my application to that. It is something like I bought the slipper and I am cutting my feet to fit into it.”