FPGA Implementation of a Real-Time Application Based on RISC-V Cores

Abdelhafez A, Ebrahimiazandaryani F, Bianconi M, Fey D (2025)

Publication Language: English

Publication Type: Conference contribution

Publication year: 2025

Publisher: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.

Pages Range: 1174-1179

Conference Proceedings Title: 2025 IEEE 22nd International Multi-Conference on Systems, Signals & Devices (SSD)

Event location: Monastir

ISBN: 979-8-3315-4273-3

DOI: 10.1109/SSD64182.2025.10989839

Abstract

This paper investigates the FPGA implementation of a real-time medical application using open-source RISC-V cores, focusing on the NOVA processor and the widely recognized VexRiscv processor. The study, conducted in collaboration with Siemens Healthineers and Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU), evaluates the performance and feasibility of these processors in a healthcare scenario under strict timing constraints. It focuses on their integration within the tube collimator board (TCO) of a computed tomography (CT) system. To ensure reliable operation, input data rates were down-sampled by a factor of four, enabling a robust design flow for integrating RISC-V cores into CT systems. Experimental results demonstrate that the NOVA processor, which employs a carry-free adder based on ternary data representation, achieves 1.65× higher computational power compared to VexRiscv. However, this performance improvement comes at the cost of increased FPGA resource utilization, whereas VexRiscv offers better resource efficiency with competitive performance. The findings underscore the versatility of RISC-V architectures in the current real-time medical application and highlight the potential of the ternary-coded data processing scheme for advancing practical solutions in medical electronics.

Authors with CRIS profile

Farhad Ebrahimiazandaryani Lehrstuhl für Informatik 3 (Rechnerarchitektur) Dietmar Fey Lehrstuhl für Informatik 3 (Rechnerarchitektur)

How to cite

APA:

Abdelhafez, A., Ebrahimiazandaryani, F., Bianconi, M., & Fey, D. (2025). FPGA Implementation of a Real-Time Application Based on RISC-V Cores. In 2025 IEEE 22nd International Multi-Conference on Systems, Signals & Devices (SSD) (pp. 1174-1179). Monastir, TN: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc..

MLA:

Abdelhafez, Amr, et al. "FPGA Implementation of a Real-Time Application Based on RISC-V Cores." Proceedings of the 22nd IEEE International Multi-Conference on Systems, Signals and Devices, SSD 2025, Monastir Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., 2025. 1174-1179.

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