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CV-X-IF (eXtension Interface)

ActiveOpenHW Explorer editorial assessment

CV-X-IF, the CORE-V eXtension Interface, specifies how custom coprocessors and instruction-set extensions connect to a RISC-V CPU. Its basic channels handle compressed instructions, instruction issue, register operands, commit control, and results, allowing accelerator logic to remain outside the host pipeline. Memory and memory-result channels are optional and depend on the specification version and processor implementation. Integrators should check both sides of the interface against the same supported protocol; this is an interface specification, not a ready-made accelerator or a general mechanism for arbitrary control-flow and privileged extensions.

Reviewed profileOfficial sourcesVerified 2026-09-127 sourcesPrimary source
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Category: IP ComponentsStatus: Editorial · ActiveBest for: Engineer
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At a glance

  • Artifact type: versioned interface specification, not a processor core or concrete accelerator
  • Purpose: connect custom coprocessors and ISA extensions to an existing RISC-V processor
  • Protocol structure: compressed, issue, register, commit, and result channels; memory and memory-result channels are optional and implementation-dependent
  • Documentation: reStructuredText/Sphinx sources published through OpenHW documentation hosting
  • Versioning: semantic versions derived from Git tags through setuptools_scm

Further resources

CV-X-IF specificationrendered official specificationCV32E40X User Manuala core that exposes CORE-V-XIFCVA6 repositoryCORE-V family implementations and configurations using the interfaceCORE-V family overviewofficial cross-core context
96stars
31forks
SystemVerilogrepository language (GitHub)
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Categories

IP ComponentsDocumentation

Tags

OpenHWRISC-VIPDocumentationExtension InterfaceCoprocessorExtensionInterfaceSystemVerilogAccelerator

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EngineerResearcherContributor

Contribution ActivityLow Activity

11

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20

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Recent Commits (4 weeks)

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Data as of Sep 28, 2026

Verified adoption, contributor and lineage records, educational use, presentations, articles, and ecosystem data will be added incrementally from named sources.

Related Projects

CV32E40X

CV32E40X is a compact four-stage, in-order 32-bit RISC-V core for compute-oriented embedded systems. Its defining feature is CORE-V-XIF, which lets designers implement custom instructions in an external coprocessor without embedding that logic directly in the CPU pipeline. It is most relevant to engineers and researchers exploring domain-specific acceleration, but adopters should note that the core is considered mature while not currently progressing toward its TRL-5 target.

CVA6

CVA6 is a configurable six-stage, in-order CORE-V processor family for 32-bit and 64-bit embedded and application-class systems. Its RTL includes both single-issue configurations, such as CV32A60X, and dual-issue configurations, such as CV32A65X. ISA extensions, privilege modes, and virtual memory depend on the selected configuration: application configurations can run Linux, while the embedded CV32A60X and CV32A65X configurations have no MMU or S/U modes. The repository brings together processor RTL, verification, FPGA integration, and documentation for engineers evaluating a core or exploring custom extensions through CV-X-IF.

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