Shakti RISC-V Development Workspace

A professional development environment for the Shakti RISC-V processor family, combining the SDK, toolchain, and development tools in a unified workspace.

Mac M4 / Apple Silicon? → See docs/MAC_M4_SETUP.md for full setup.

Workspace Structure

shakti_workspace/
├── docs/               # Documentation (MAC_M4_SETUP.md for Apple Silicon)
├── env.sh              # Environment setup script (source before building)
├── lab-flash.sh        # One-command flash at lab (Arty A7 + USB)
├── bin/elf2hex         # ARM64-compatible ELF→hex (Python wrapper)
├── shakti.sh           # tmux-based development session launcher
├── shakti-sdk/         # Shakti Software Development Kit
│   ├── bsp/            # Board Support Package (drivers, platform configs)
│   ├── software/       # Examples and projects
│   │   ├── examples/   # Peripheral examples (GPIO, UART, I2C, SPI, etc.)
│   │   └── projects/   # Application projects
│   └── doc/            # Documentation
└── shakti-tools/       # RISC-V toolchain and OpenOCD
    ├── bin/            # OpenOCD, elf2hex
    ├── riscv32/        # 32-bit RISC-V toolchain (rv32imac)
    └── riscv64/        # 64-bit RISC-V toolchain (rv64imac)

Quick Start

1. Environment Setup

Source the environment script before building:

source env.sh

Or when working from the SDK directory:

source setenv.sh

2. Build an Example

cd shakti-sdk
make software PROGRAM=hello TARGET=parashu

3. List Available Targets

make list_targets

Supported targets: artix7_35t, artix7_100t, pinaka, parashu, vajra, moushik

4. List Examples

make list_applns

5. Development Session (tmux)

For debugging with OpenOCD, UART, and GDB:

./shakti.sh

Requirements

• OS: Ubuntu 18.04 or 20.04 (verified)
• Tools: tmux (for shakti.sh), python3-serial (for UART)
• Hardware: Digilent Arty-7 FPGA board or compatible Shakti platform

---

MacBook M4 / Apple Silicon Setup (Lab Substitute)

The official ACAD guide uses VirtualBox on Ubuntu. VirtualBox does not run on Apple Silicon. Use this substitute.

Full setup guide for future students: See docs/MAC_M4_SETUP.md or docs/SHAKTI_MAC_M4_FULL_GUIDE.pdf (PDF) for the complete step-by-step Mac M4 setup.

Option A: UTM + Ubuntu ARM64 (Recommended for labs)

1. Install UTM (free, native on M4):
   https://mac.getutm.app/ or brew install --cask utm

2. Download Ubuntu 24.04 ARM64:
   https://ubuntu.com/download/server/arm (or Ubuntu Desktop ARM64)

3. Create VM in UTM:

   • New → Virtualize → Linux
   • Memory: 4–6 GB | CPU: 4 cores | Disk: 40 GB minimum
   • Attach Ubuntu ARM64 ISO and install

4. Inside Ubuntu VM, build RISC-V toolchain (prebuilt shakti-tools are x86_64 only):

   sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y build-essential git autoconf automake \
       libtool texinfo flex bison libmpc-dev libmpfr-dev libgmp-dev \
       gawk python3 python3-pip
   git clone https://github.com/riscv-collab/riscv-gnu-toolchain
   cd riscv-gnu-toolchain
   ./configure --prefix=$HOME/riscv32 --with-arch=rv32imac --with-abi=ilp32
   make -j$(nproc)

5. Copy your shakti_workspace into the VM (shared folder or SCP), then:

   export PATH=$PATH:$HOME/riscv32/bin
   cd shakti-sdk && make software PROGRAM=hello TARGET=parashu

6. OpenOCD / elf2hex: This workspace includes bin/elf2hex (Python) and uses system OpenOCD (apt install openocd). Lab flash is ready—see "Lab Flash" below.

Option B: Native macOS (advanced)

Build the toolchain on macOS and point the SDK at it. Requires brew install deps and building riscv-gnu-toolchain from source. See riscv-gnu-toolchain.

Why this works

• UTM gives a real Linux environment (same as lab)
• Ubuntu ARM64 runs at native speed (no x86 emulation)
• You build the RISC-V toolchain once; SDK Makefiles use riscv32-unknown-elf-gcc etc.

Documentation

• Shakti SDK User Manual
• Shakti Boot Sequence
• PLIC User Manual

Lab Flash (Arty A7)

When at the lab with the Arty A7 connected via USB:

source env.sh
./lab-flash.sh hello artix7_35t

Or manually:

source env.sh
cd shakti-sdk
make upload PROGRAM=hello TARGET=artix7_35t

• VMware users: Enable USB passthrough (VM → Removable Devices → Connect Digilent USB).
• sudo: OpenOCD requires root for USB JTAG access; you'll be prompted.
• UART: Use 115200 baud to see program output (e.g. PuTTY, screen, minicom).

Common Commands

Command	Description
make software PROGRAM=X TARGET=Y	Build example X for board Y
make project PROGRAM=X TARGET=Y	Build project X for board Y
make upload PROGRAM=X TARGET=Y	Build and upload to flash
make debug PROGRAM=X TARGET=Y	Build with debug symbols
make clean	Clean all build artifacts

License

Components are under their respective licenses. Shakti SDK is GPLv3. See individual repository headers for details.