Recently, China's scientific research community has set off a wave of sensational discussions. They claim that they will use artificial intelligence technology to design a brand new RISC-V CPU in only 5 hours. After the news came out, it aroused widespread concern and expectations in the computer field. If this goal can be realized, it will bring a major breakthrough in the field of hardware design and completely change the time and efficiency of the design process.
In a paper published by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of Science and Technology of China, they detail a stunning achievement: They designed a new industrial-scale RISC-V CPU in just 5 hours. It is said that this time is much faster than the time required for a human team to complete a similar CPU design, and the ratio is even as high as about 1000 times. This achievement has attracted a lot of attention and excitement because it demonstrates the great potential of machine learning and automation in hardware design.
It is worth noting that the design of this CPU was "formed only from external input-output observations", rather than by means of traditional formal program code. This input-output based design approach is very interesting because it pushes the limits of the traditional design process and provides more efficient and innovative ways to build CPUs. Additionally, the CPU demonstrated stunning accuracy, with 11 nines of precision, further underscoring the excellence of the researchers' design process.
The CPU uses a 65nm manufacturing process and can run at speeds up to 300MHz. Despite its relatively low clock frequency, the researchers managed to run the Linux kernel 5.15 operating system on this CPU and benchmark it. The CPU's performance was shown to be approximately on par with the i486, a historic milestone that further demonstrates the viability and utility of this rapid design process.
Most surprising of all, the researchers claim they have "discovered the von Neumann architecture ab initio". Considered a cornerstone in computer design, the von Neumann architecture defines a method for storing programs in memory and controlling computer operations through a stream of instructions. If this statement holds true, then this research will bring important breakthroughs to the field of computer science, which may lead to new thinking and exploration.
With the continuous efforts of Chinese scientists in the fields of artificial intelligence and hardware design, we have reason to believe that more amazing results will be ushered in in the future. By taking the challenging task of designing a RISC-V CPU in a short period of time, China has demonstrated its leadership in artificial intelligence and innovation. With the continuous development and application of technology, we expect to see artificial intelligence continue to play an important role in the field of hardware design, bringing more spectacular and cutting-edge breakthroughs to computer science.