Imagination opens MIPS core for chip education

Imagination has launched a new university program that provides full access to a version of the microAptiv compute core based on the MIPS architecture. The company gives educational institutions free access.

It is full and free access to a simplified version of the microAptiv CPU core specially adapted for use by educational institutions. Imagination provides a complete teaching package called MIPSfpga that provides insight into the MIPS architecture.

According to the company, this is the first time that universities have been given access to the rtl code for an internal representation of the data structure in this way. The teaching package consists of a start guide, books for teachers and examples that show students how the CPU works. With the material, students can design their own CPU, debug it and run it on an fpga platform.

With the program, Imagination tries to arouse the interest of educational institutions for its MIPS platform. MIPS has a marginal market share and Imagination tries, among other things, to compete with ARM for cheap tablets, so far without much success.