ForwardCom is an open system with a permissive license and no patents. This is based on the philosophy that open collaboration generates synergy. The successes of open source software are well known and need no further explanation here. Now the time has come to open source hardware.
The RISC-V developers Krste Asanović and David Patterson have presented compelling arguments for why an open instruction set should be preferred (see report or video). Openness can be crucial for the success of a technical design. For example, the original IBM PC in the early 1980’s had an advantage over competing computers because the open architecture allowed other hardware and software producers to make compatible equipment. IBM lost most of their market share when they tried to capitalize on their market dominance and switched to the proprietary Micro Channel Architecture in 1987 protected by expensive license conditions. Today, “IBM compatible” in no longer a buzzword.
An open instruction set architecture named RISC-V has gathered a large community of followers, cooperators, and researchers even though it is not particularly innovative. The main feature that distinguishes RISC-V from other RISC instruction sets is the openness and permissive license. Another experimental instruction set, named Mill architecture, is very innovative with many features never seen before, yet it remains shrouded in obscurity. It has a rather limited number of developers and followers due to the proprietary nature and patent protection of the project. The Mill computing company has run out of funding long before its processor has been developed to a point where it can generate any profit.
We believe that the ForwardCom project could not be successfully developed under commercial conditions. It is unable to outcompete commercial systems and become commercially profitable in the short run. Instead, the ForwardCom system is a very attractive platform for experiments, development, and innovation. The open collaboration provides a fertile ground for university projects and new ideas. It is impossible to predict where this will lead us, but the project has already generated so many interesting new ideas that the prospect for future development looks promising.
The openness and permissive license will open many possibilities for niche products including small, embedded systems as well as large vector processors. What will happen on a longer timescale is anybody’s guess.
The license conditions are as follows: