FPGA board

Why Use Pipelining in RISC-V?: Improved CPU Performance: Pipelining allows for better
utilization of the processor, enabling it to handle multiple instructions at once and improving its
instruction throughput. Since RISC-V focuses on simple and efficient instructions, pipelining is
particularly effective.

Scalability: By using a pipelined design, a RISC-V processor can scale more efficiently.
Pipelines can be extended or adapted to handle more complex operations or additional
instructions as needed.

Real-World Applications: Embedded Systems: The 5-stage pipelined RISC-V processor can be
used in various embedded systems where power efficiency and low cost are crucial.

High-Performance Computing: More advanced versions of pipelined processors can be used in

servers and computing devices for applications that require high throughput and performance.

IoT Devices: Many IoT devices use RISC-V because of its low power consumption and
scalability, making it suitable for applications that require efficient processing on minimal
hardware.
5-Week Beginner-Friendly Study Plan for Building a 5-Stage Pipelined RISC-V Processor

📅 Week 1: Digital Logic & Verilog Basics Goal: Understand basic digital circuits and get familiar
with Verilog.

Topics to Learn:

Number systems: binary, decimal, hexadecimal

Logic gates: AND, OR, NOT, NAND, NOR, XOR

Combinational circuits: multiplexers, decoders, adders

Sequential circuits: flip-flops, registers

Basic Verilog syntax and simulation

Resources:

Book: Digital Design by M. Morris Mano

Online: Neso Academy (YouTube - Digital Logic Series)

Practice: HDLBits

Tools:

EDA Playground

📅 Week 2: RISC-V ISA + Verilog Practice Goal: Learn RISC-V instructions and practice
designing basic circuits in Verilog.

Topics to Learn:

RISC-V instruction types: R, I, S, B, U, J

Instructions: add, sub, lw, sw, beq, addi

Register usage and encoding

Designing ALU and register file in Verilog

Writing testbenches

Resources:

The RISC-V Reader (free eBook)

RISC-V Green Card: https://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs61c/fa17/img/riscvcard.pdf

Verilog book: Verilog HDL by Samir Palnitkar

Tools:

Icarus Verilog + GTKWave

ModelSim (if available)

📅 Week 3: Module Design for CPU Goal: Design and test core CPU components.
Modules to Build:

Program Counter (PC)

Instruction Memory (ROM)

Register File

ALU

Control Unit

Data Memory (RAM)

Practice:

Simulate each module individually

Verify outputs using waveform (GTKWave)

Resources:

MIPS pipeline simulation videos (YouTube)

RTL design tutorials

📅 Week 4: Pipelining Concepts & Integration Goal: Learn how pipelining works and integrate
modules into 5-stage CPU.

Topics to Learn:

Pipeline stages: IF, ID, EX, MEM, WB

Pipeline registers (IF/ID, ID/EX, etc.)

Forwarding, stalling, and hazard detection

Control hazard resolution (simple branch handling)

Tasks:

Connect modules through pipeline registers

Simulate instruction flow through all 5 stages

Debug data movement and hazard cases

📅 Week 5: Final Testing, Improvements & Report Goal: Finalize design, test comprehensively,
and document your work.

Tasks:

Test with sequences of instructions (data + control flow)

Check for correct timing and output

Optimize for simplicity and clarity

Write a report with:

Block diagram

Pipeline timing diagram

Explanation of each module

Simulation results

Extras (Optional):

Try implementing on FPGA using Vivado (if board available)

Explore tools like Yosys for RTL synthesis

🚀 End Result: A working 5-stage pipelined RISC-V CPU simulation with clean Verilog code,
visual timing analysis, and a clear understanding of VLSI concepts.

Let me know if you'd like a formatted PDF version or want me to include specific tool installation
guides.
5-Stage Pipelined RISC-V Processor – Detailed Explanation A 5-stage pipelined RISC-V
processor is a design of a central processing unit (CPU) that breaks down the execution of
instructions into five stages to improve efficiency and throughput. Each stage performs a
specific task in the overall process of executing an instruction. The key concept behind
pipelining is to allow multiple instructions to be in various stages of execution simultaneously,
thus improving the CPU’s overall performance.

Let’s break down the 5-stage pipeline and its components:

Overview of a 5-Stage Pipeline: The 5-stage pipeline in a RISC-V processor typically follows
these stages:

Instruction Fetch (IF):

The Instruction Fetch stage is responsible for fetching the next instruction from memory (usually
from Program Counter (PC)) based on the current value of the PC.

The PC holds the address of the instruction to be fetched. Once an instruction is fetched, the
PC is incremented or modified (based on control flow) to point to the next instruction.

The fetch operation retrieves an instruction from memory and places it in the Instruction
Register (IR) for decoding.

Instruction Decode (ID):

The Instruction Decode stage decodes the fetched instruction. This step determines what
operation is to be performed and which registers or memory locations are involved.

The processor identifies the opcode (operation code) in the instruction and decodes the
operands (registers or immediate values).

This stage also involves reading from the register file to retrieve the values that are used in the
execution stage.

Control signals are generated to guide the operation of the processor, specifying whether the
instruction is a load, store, arithmetic operation, etc.

Execution (EX):

The Execution stage performs the actual computation or address calculation required by the
instruction.

For example, in an ADD instruction, the ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit) performs the addition. For a
load or store instruction, the EX stage calculates the memory address.

If the instruction involves a branch, this stage checks whether the branch is taken or not,
adjusting the PC accordingly.
The ALU is the core component in this stage, handling operations such as addition, subtraction,
logical operations, and comparisons.

Memory (MEM):

The Memory stage handles data memory access for load and store instructions.

If the instruction involves loading data (like a LW (load word) instruction), this stage will access
the memory and load data from the specified memory address into the appropriate register.

For store instructions (like SW (store word)), this stage writes data from the register to memory.

If the instruction does not involve memory access (such as an arithmetic instruction), this stage
does not perform any operation.

Write-Back (WB):

The Write-Back stage is the final step where the result of the operation is written back to the
register file.

For example, after the execution stage computes the result (for arithmetic operations), the result
is written to a register during the WB stage.

For load instructions, the data fetched from memory is written back to the register in this stage.

Detailed Pipeline Flow: Pipelining Concept: Imagine an assembly line where different parts of a
product are worked on simultaneously. In a 5-stage pipeline, each instruction goes through
these five stages in order. However, while one instruction is being decoded, the previous
instruction might already be in the execute stage, and the next one might already be fetched.
This overlapping of stages increases throughput.

Pipeline Stalls: Sometimes, the processor may need to wait (stall) because one instruction
depends on the result of a previous instruction (a data hazard) or there is a delay due to
branching (a control hazard). Special techniques like forwarding (bypassing) and branch
prediction are used to minimize these delays.

Pipeline Hazards: There are three main types of hazards that can occur in a pipelined
processor:

Data Hazards:

These occur when an instruction depends on the result of a previous instruction that hasn’t yet
completed.

Example: If an ADD instruction needs the result from a LOAD instruction that’s still in the
pipeline, a data hazard arises.
Solutions:

Forwarding (bypassing): Data is passed directly from one pipeline stage to another, reducing
delays.

Stalling: The pipeline is paused for a cycle until the required data is available.

Control Hazards:

These occur when the control flow of the program is uncertain, usually due to branch
instructions (e.g., BEQ, JAL).

Example: If a branch instruction is encountered, the processor has to decide whether to fetch
the next instruction sequentially or jump to a different address.

Solutions:

Branch prediction: The processor predicts which branch will be taken and fetches instructions
accordingly.

Delayed branching: Some processors use a technique where the delay slot is filled with useful
instructions.

Structural Hazards:

These occur when the hardware resources are insufficient to handle multiple instructions
simultaneously.

Example: If the processor can only fetch one instruction at a time but multiple instructions are
needed for execution in parallel.

Solutions: Additional hardware or pipeline stages are added to mitigate these hazards.

Performance Benefits of Pipelining: Increased Throughput: Pipelining increases the throughput

of the processor, meaning more instructions are executed in a given amount of time. For
example, while one instruction is being executed, another can be decoded and a third fetched,
all simultaneously.

Efficiency: Each instruction takes 5 clock cycles to complete, but multiple instructions are in
progress at once, leading to better overall performance.

Challenges in a 5-Stage Pipelined RISC-V Processor: Hazard Management: As mentioned,

managing hazards (data, control, and structural hazards) is crucial for maintaining performance.
Proper forwarding techniques, branch prediction, and handling of stalls can significantly improve
the efficiency of the pipeline.
Pipeline Depth: Although 5 stages are typical, modern processors often go beyond 5 stages
(sometimes up to 20 stages or more), requiring more sophisticated techniques for hazard
resolution and performance optimization.

Design Complexity: While a 5-stage pipeline is relatively simple, managing the control signals,
data paths, and timing between the stages requires a good understanding of VLSI design
principles.

Why Use Pipelining in RISC-V?: Improved CPU Performance: Pipelining allows for better
utilization of the processor, enabling it to handle multiple instructions at once and improving its
instruction throughput. Since RISC-V focuses on simple and efficient instructions, pipelining is
particularly effective.

Scalability: By using a pipelined design, a RISC-V processor can scale more efficiently.
Pipelines can be extended or adapted to handle more complex operations or additional
instructions as needed.

Real-World Applications: Embedded Systems: The 5-stage pipelined RISC-V processor can be
used in various embedded systems where power efficiency and low cost are crucial.

High-Performance Computing: More advanced versions of pipelined processors can be used in

servers and computing devices for applications that require high throughput and performance.

IoT Devices: Many IoT devices use RISC-V because of its low power consumption and
scalability, making it suitable for applications that require efficient processing on minimal
hardware.

Conclusion: The 5-stage pipelined RISC-V processor is a fundamental concept in processor

design and VLSI research. Understanding this architecture helps engineers design more
efficient processors that can handle multiple instructions at the same time. Although simple, it
lays the groundwork for more complex designs and serves as an excellent introduction to CPU
architecture, VLSI design, and performance optimization techniques. The 5-stage pipeline
enables better throughput, making it highly relevant for modern computing, from embedded
systems to high-performance processors.