SiFive has introduced two new IP blocks, the Intelligence X390 NPU and the Performance P870 RISC-V core, which are designed for SoCs targeting Generative AI and ML applications.

The Performance P870, previously covered by CNX Software, is a high-performance core that supports the RVA23 RISC-V profile specification, Vector 1.0, and Vector Crypto. It features a six-wide, out-of-order 64-bit core and can be configured with up to a 32-core cluster. The P870 offers over 12 SpecINT2k6/GHz and a 50% peak single-thread performance improvement compared to the previous generation SiFive Performance P670. It also includes SiFive features such as 2x 128b VLEN RVV, vector crypto and hypervisor extensions, IOMMU and AIA, non-inclusive L3 cache, and RISC-V WorldGuard security. The P870 is fully compatible with Google’s platform requirements for Android on RISC-V and supports Linux.

The SiFive Intelligence X390 NPU is built on the U7-Series core with a 64-bit RISC-V ISA and an 8-stage dual-issue in-order pipeline. It supports the RISC-V Vector extension and features a 1024-bit VLEN, 512-bit DLEN, single/dual vector ALU, and the Vector Coprocessor Interface eXtension (VCIX) for direct connectivity of external hardware accelerators. The X390 NPU offers a 4x improvement in vector computation compared to the Intelligence X280 NPU, thanks to its single-core configuration, doubled vector length, and dual vector ALUs.

SiFive envisions the P870 and X390 being paired in powerful RISC-V SoCs with up to 32 cores and 8 AI accelerator cores (along with optional custom accelerators) to enable generative AI in data centers. The company promises a full AI solution with optimized libraries, as well as OpenXLA and NN models. Additionally, the Performance P870 is suitable for DPU, storage, networking, 5G applications, and automotive SoCs. In the automotive market, the P870-A RISC-V core can be integrated with the Intelligence X280 AI accelerator and SiFive S7-A cores for ASIL B/D compliance, supporting applications such as standalone ADAS, central compute, and in-vehicle infotainment (IVI).

SiFive also suggests that the P870 and X390 may find their way into consumer applications like edge AI security cameras, mobile devices, wearables, and smart TVs, although no specific details were provided.

For more information, please visit the product page and press release.

Source: CNX Software – Embedded Systems News.

Linus Torvalds has released Linux 6.6-rc6 and plans to release the stable version of Linux 6.6 in two weeks, barring any unexpected issues. In the announcement, Torvalds mentioned that the previous week had been calm, with discussions focusing on future changes. He also mentioned a music video documentary that was made about the release. The changes in this release include a fix for a kernel crash when unplugging Logitech USB receivers and a fix for hung systems during shutdowns or reboots, which specifically affects Lenovo, Sony, and Dell systems, particularly recent Intel Alder Lake and Raptor Lake systems. Other fixes include support for the PXN V900 racing steering wheel and a fix for a Zen 4 CPU bug when running with “mitigations=off” or disabling IBRS. The stable release of Linux 6.6 is expected to debut on October 29th, followed by the start of the v6.7 kernel cycle.

Source: Phoronix.

OpenWrt 23.05, the open-source Linux operating system for routers and resource-constrained headless embedded systems, has just been released with significant updates and improvements. This release comes with over 4300 commits since the previous release of OpenWrt 22.03, which was launched a little over a year ago.

One of the notable features of OpenWrt 23.05 is its expanded device support. It now supports over 1790 devices, which is an increase of about 200 devices compared to the previous release. Some of the new targets include the Qualcomm IPQ807x target for WiFi 6 SoCs, the Mediatek Filogic 830 and 630 subtarget for WiFi 6/6e chips, and the HiFive Unleashed and Unmatched targets for RISC-V development boards.

In terms of security, OpenWrt 23.05 has switched from using wolfSSL to MbedTLS as the default. This change was made because MbedTLS has a smaller footprint and offers a more stable ABI and LTS releases. However, it’s worth noting that MbedTLS lacks support for TLS 1.3. Therefore, users who require TLS 1.3 can still switch to using wolfSSL.

Another significant addition in this release is support for packages written with the Rust programming language. Some examples of these packages include bottom, maturin, aardvark-dns, and ripgrep. This expansion of supported programming languages provides developers with more flexibility and options when creating applications for OpenWrt.

OpenWrt 23.05 also brings updates to its core components. It now utilizes Linux 5.15 as the foundation for all targets, as well as updated versions of busybox, musl libc, glibc, gcc, and inutils. Additionally, the networking components have seen upgrades, including the use of the hostapd master snapshot from September 2023, dnsmasq 2.89, dropbear 2022.82, and cfg80211/mac80211 from kernel 6.1.24.

For users looking to upgrade from OpenWrt 22.03, the migration from swconfig to DSA configuration that was introduced in the previous releases is no longer an issue. Most people should be able to upgrade smoothly using the sysupgrade utility, which will preserve the configuration. However, it is still recommended to back up the configuration before proceeding with the upgrade.

OpenWrt 23.05 is now available for download, and users can find binary images for their specific targets on the OpenWrt website.

Source: CNX Software – Embedded Systems News.

OpenZFS has announced the release of version 2.2.0, an open-source implementation of the ZFS file system and volume manager. This release comes with several new features and performance improvements.

One notable new feature is block cloning, which allows for the creation of shallow copies of files or parts of files. This facility is used to implement “reflinks” or “file-level copy-on-write”. Additionally, Linux container support has been added, including support for Linux-specific container interfaces such as renameat(2), overlayfs, idmapped mounts in a user namespace, and namespace delegation support for containers.

Another important addition is the scrub error log, which allows zpool status to report all affected filesystems, snapshots, and clones when a shared corrupt block is found. The zpool scrub -e command can be used to perform a fast, targeted repair of known damaged blocks.

In terms of performance, this release introduces fully adaptive ARC, which allows the ARC to better adjust to highly dynamic workloads and minimizes the need for manual workload-dependent tuning. It also includes optimized SHA2 and Edon-R checksum implementations, as well as improvements in prefetching and general optimization.

For those interested in the technical details, the complete change log and module options are available in the OpenZFS documentation.

Overall, the release of version zfs-2.2.0 brings exciting new features and performance improvements to the OpenZFS/ZFS on Linux community. It is recommended for users who are looking to enhance their server, Linux, DevOps, and home lab environments.

For more information, please refer to the OpenZFS documentation for Linux and FreeBSD, and the complete change log.

openSUSE has announced the availability of Leap Micro 5.5, the latest version of its modern lightweight host operating system. Leap Micro 5.5 is essentially a rebranded version of SLE Micro, so all the documents and release notes from SLE Micro 5.5 are applicable to Leap Micro as well.

It’s important to note that with the release of Leap Micro 5.5, Leap Micro 5.3 has reached its End of Life (EOL). Users of Leap Micro 5.3 are strongly advised to upgrade to either the Leap Micro 5.4 or 5.5 release to ensure access to the latest features, security enhancements, and ongoing support.

One of the standout features of Leap Micro 5.5 is its enhanced support for SELinux. Security-Enhanced Linux (SELinux) now includes podman-docker and hyper-v support for AArch64, providing users with a more robust and secure computing experience. Leap Micro 5.5 also includes podman 4.4, which introduces podman quadlets. Users can check out the Nextcloud deployment using quadlets to explore this feature. Additionally, Leap Micro ships with podman-docker, a podman wrapper that can be used together with docker-compose.

The container management interface Cockpit has also received notable improvements in version 298. Users can now use Cockpit to manage all of their home workloads, providing a more convenient management solution.

For users new to the immutable OS space, which consists of systems with read-only /root, there is a transactional update guide available to help navigate the update process. Additionally, users can use the Toolbox tool to install additional software without the need for a reboot, making it particularly useful for debugging scenarios where a reboot is not feasible.

This year, Raspberry Pi has released a new version of their operating system called Bookworm. While the overall Debian release, on which Raspberry Pi OS is based, doesn’t bring many changes, Bookworm introduces some major architectural updates to the Raspberry Pi Desktop.

One of the significant changes in Bookworm is the transition from using X11 to Wayland as the display system. Wayland offers improved performance by combining the functions of the display server and window manager into a single application. This consolidation also enhances security by isolating applications from each other at the compositor level.

To support Wayland, Raspberry Pi OS now uses a compositor called Wayfire, which works better as a Wayland compositor on Raspberry Pi than the previous Mutter window manager. However, Wayland is currently only the default mode on Raspberry Pi 4 and 5, with older platforms still using the X11 display server and Openbox window manager. The performance of Wayfire on these older platforms is being optimized for a future switch to Wayland.

Another significant update in Bookworm is the replacement of PulseAudio with PipeWire as the audio system. PipeWire builds upon the features of PulseAudio and provides better support for audio accompanying video, reduced latency, improved management of Bluetooth audio devices, and enhanced operation in the secure Wayland environment.

Networking in Raspberry Pi OS has also been updated with the adoption of NetworkManager as the default network controller. NetworkManager offers additional functionality, such as connecting to hidden wireless networks, virtual private networks (VPNs), and using a Raspberry Pi as a wireless hotspot. The networking plugin on the taskbar retains a familiar appearance but now includes an “Advanced Options” item to access the new features provided by NetworkManager.

The extensive changes introduced in Bookworm have necessitated updates to the Raspberry Pi OS documentation. The documentation team has been working diligently to ensure that the documentation reflects the new state of the operating system. If users come across any outdated documentation, they are encouraged to raise an issue on the documentation repository.

While Bookworm brings many improvements, there are a few features and programs that are currently missing or incompatible with the new version. Overscan compensation for displays, the system tray for application icons, and traditional remote desktop access have either been temporarily removed or replaced with alternative mechanisms. Additionally, certain programs like the SenseHAT Emulator, BlueJ and Greenfoot Java IDEs, and Sonic Pi are incompatible with Bookworm and have been removed until they are updated.

The changes in Bookworm align Raspberry Pi OS with the practices of other Linux distributions, as many have already adopted Wayland, PipeWire, and NetworkManager. These updates provide a solid foundation for future development and ensure compatibility with the broader Linux ecosystem.

While Wayland and PipeWire have been extensively tested, there may still be specific usage scenarios where issues can arise. To address this, the Advanced Settings menu in raspi-config allows users to revert to the old X11/Openbox display system and PulseAudio if necessary.

To install Bookworm, it is recommended to re-image the SD card with a clean image rather than attempting to upgrade from a previous version. Raspberry Pi Imager can be used to create an SD card with Bookworm, or users can download a Bookworm image from the Raspberry Pi website and flash it onto their SD card using their preferred tool.

Overall, Bookworm brings significant updates to the Raspberry Pi OS, including the transition to Wayland, the adoption of PipeWire for audio, and the use of NetworkManager for networking. These changes improve performance, security, and functionality, aligning Raspberry Pi OS with industry standards and providing a solid platform for future development.

Source: News - Raspberry Pi.