EUROPRACTICE is a European Commission initiative, which looks to stimulate the wider adoption of state-of-the-art microelectronics design by providing access to a wide range of cost-effective and leading-edge electronic system design tools, with routes to IC fabrication for non-commercial teaching and research in academic institutions across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Russia.
This collaboration will enable students and researchers to create innovative, secure SoC designs and for the first time fabricate a small number of devices with an advanced industry standard embedded processor core. These advanced systems can find applications in a wide variety of markets ranging from microcontrollers and wearables to home networking and entertainment to automotive and storage.
Imagination's partnership with EUROPRACTICE is the latest in a series of initiatives it has undertaken to provide a path for academia to improve CPU architecture education at universities. Earlier this year, Imagination launched MIPSfpga, which offers universities free and open access to a fully-validated, current generation MIPS CPU in a comprehensive teaching package. Imagination is also heavily involved in teaching the theory of computer architecture with MIPS.
According to Robert Owen, manager, Worldwide University Programme, Imagination: “The success of our MIPSfpga program, has resulted in Imagination receiving an increasing number of requests from universities around the world about how they can add value to their projects by enabling researchers and students to put their designs into silicon. Our partnership with EUROPRACTICE will enable students to design and bring to fruition highly differentiated products that take full advantage of the features associated with MIPS CPUs. This includes Imagination’s OmniShield multi-domain security technology, which will enable them address the stringent security and reliability needs of many next-generation products.”
Member universities who participate in the EUROPRACTICE program will be able to license M-class CPUs for a small fee, and will receive training and on-going support from EUROPRACTICE as they create prototypes and produce sample quantities in silicon.
