Metaflow SoC on open-source core

While open-source software has become well known, open-source options for chip designers are gaining in prominence. Metaflow Technologies Inc. has announced that it will base its licensable system-on-chip platform on the open-source 32-bit Leon, a Sparc-like processor. Leon-1 CPU core VHDL source code is freely available.

The marketing director of Metaflow, a subsidiary of STMicroelectronics Inc., says, "The Linux phenomenon has proven that open source is an effective way for producing world-class IP, and has created legitimate business models for commercial companies adding value around this IP. The same is now happening with hardware IP."

The source article is located at eet.com. Also of interest is opencores.org.