Design of a variable precision CORDIC coprocessor for RISC-V architecture based on FinFET process

Abstract

This paper proposes a 32-bit RISC-V microprocessor for the IoT, which consists of the Hummingbird e203 and a configurable precision COordinate Rotation Digital Computer (CORDIC) coprocessor. Coprocessor is used to enhance the processing power of the system. Custom instructions are added to the original RISC-V instruction set to accelerate complex calculations. Experimental results demonstrate that the coprocessor can process applications 8-9 times faster than software-based approaches and requires fewer instructions. The microprocessor has been synthesized using a FinFET process, achieving a maximum frequency of 952-Mhz. It occupies an area of 14,640.5-um² and has peak power consumption of 13.5996-mW. Compared to previous accelerators, it offers numerous performance advantages.