More and more industries are demanding smart sensors with improved performance and efficiency. In a research project with the Hochschule für Technik und Architektur Freiburg (CH), Microdul and other industry partners have laid the foundation for the introduction of RISC-V in industrial sensor ASICs. As part of the initiative «Exploring RISC-V Core-based Microcontrollers for Implementation in Industrial and Automotive Sensor ASICs» (ERMIIS), a microcontroller with a RISC-V CPU (IBEX) was developed that is small, easy to implement, and energy-efficient.
The findings confirm that compact implementation of a RISC-V architecture in industrial sensor ASICs is possible. With its expertise in temperature monitoring and low-power ASICs, Microdul is able to use the developed design in sensor applications. This is extremely interesting for customers due to the cost-effective implementation (license-free) and the freedom of design options.
The project was supported by the Wirtschaftsförderung des Kantons Freiburg and was recently completed. The next step is to manufacture a chip for a master's thesis by summer 2026.
