FAQ

Sign Up Conditions

• You can join with zero-based knowledge, regardless of grade, major and school, current students and graduates can sign up to study.
• It is of course better if you have basic knowledge of computers or circuits, but it is not mandatory, because relevant learning content will also be arranged in the preliminary and B stage of "One Student One Chip".
• TAs guides everyone at key points, but does not teach step by step.For example, the handouts tell everyone to master Verilog and recommend tutorials, but TAs do not arrange classroom teaching because there are already many textbooks and online courses in this area.

Can non-school students participate?

• You can participate in the learning process, but it is not free of charge (existing funds can only be used to support domestic students).
• Students who have just graduated or have graduated but are about to enroll are considered current students (for example, when school starts in September, or before graduation on August 31).

Is there a fee to participate?

• "One Student One Chip" is a non-profit learning project. Registration and learning are free, but currently only supports free tape-out for school students. For details, please refer to the relevant entries.

After participating in "One Student One Chip", can I also participate in other competitions?

• "One Student One Chip" focuses on talent cultivation and does not conflict with any competition. The code written by everyone participating in "One Student One Chip" can be used to participate in competitions.If you win the award, we very much hope that you can cite "One Student One Chip" in your acknowledgment to expand the influence of "One Student One Chip" and attract more sponsorships, thereby supporting more students to tape-out.

Is it possible to form a team to participate?

• No, "One Student One Chip" is a training program. We hope that everyone can get the maximum training.
• After everyone completes the training and enters the community, or the Sig group and the Open Source IP project, you can naturally form a team with other students.

Can I participate just by signing up?Or do I need to interview and screen?

• You can participate at any time but there is a preliminary stage that allows everyone to figure out whether they really want to participate in One Student One Chip.

Can students currently studying in foreign universities finally be able to tap-out?

• Free tap-out for foreign students is not supported.Funding requirements are subject to restrictions.

Can I pay for tape-out?

• The details of paid tape-out have not yet been determined and will be announced eventually.

If I haven’t finished this session, can I still participate in the next session?

• Yes.

Can I participate in the new session if I participated in the previous?

• Yes.

Can high school students participate?

• Can try.But the suggestion is still to focus on learning.

Sign up Process

• Please sign up according to the notes in official website.

Is there a deadline for sign up?

• No, anytime.

How to fill in the form for the instructor?

• Can be blank.

What should I write on my resume?

• You can write information about courses, projects, etc, just like a job resume.

Will the submitted resume be made public?

• Your resume will not be made public, but your learning records and submitted code will be, but you can hide information you don’t want to make public, such as your name.

How can I check if I have been admitted after sign up?

• After filling out the questionnaire, you can start preliminary. After preliminary, fill out a preliminary defense application form. After that, a TA will contact you about the defense. For details, please refer to the learning process on the official website.

Tape-out indicators

• If you reach the target and pass the defense, you can enter the tape-out, and we will try our best to arrange the latest batch of shuttle (involving MPW).
• Originality and improvement, the code is written by yourself, and participation in "One Student One Chip" has greatly improved (or community service)
• The tape-out only supports current students (submit before 8.31 for fresh graduates). Those who have graduated can pay for the tape-out (depending on the area, specific policies are to be determined).
• Give back to the community: Obtain tape-out through defense, and it is recommended to participate in community services (TA and "One Student One Chip" open source projects, etc).

Is it possible to tape-out if it meets the tape-out standards?

• Uncertain.Meeting the tape-out standards is the most basic requirement, and it needs to be reviewed and approved before tape-out is possible.
• In extreme cases, if the number of core that meet the tape-out standards is significantly higher than expected, it is planned to select the best core for tape-out after review.
• Regarding tape-out quotas, shuttle, etc, the project team promises "Best effort", but does not make a deterministic guarantee (it does not seem to be a big problem at the moment).

Is it possible to improve the indicator?

• Yes, we encourage students to sprint for higher targets.

Is it possible to lower the indicator?

• The tape-out indicator will not be reduced, and those who have not reached the tape-out indicator will not be able to enter the tape-out.

Can it be submitted based on modifications to existing open source chip projects?

• No, "One Student One Chip" is a learning project, and every line of code must be written by yourself.

What are the quotas for participating in "One Student One Chip" and the quotas for tape-out?

• There is currently no limit to the number of people who can participate in the "One Student One Chip" and students can learn as they go.In extreme cases, due to the size of the support team, we will make a decision based on comprehensive consideration based on the number of applicants and the status of the TA team.

Is it ready for tape-out after the front-end is completed in six months?

• See if the content of A stage is completed.It’s not about the length of time.

Learning Process

• Mainly remote participation, some students will be invited to be on-site TA (can sign up).
• Weekly meetings to review progress and answer questions.
• Students need to record their learning process every 1 to 3 days so that we can guide and track their work process.
• Everyone needs to keep Git commit, and Git log is also an important basis for us to track everyone's learning process.

While participating in "One Student One Chip", can I pause for a while and then continue?

• Yes, you can adjust your plan appropriately based on your own knowledge base and time, but you need to declare and ask for leave in advance.

Is it necessary to report weekly and update work records every 1 to 3 days?

• For students who have better abilities and can achieve higher targets, they can make arrangements by themselves;
• For students who are weak and need to improve, please proceed according to the above rhythm
• In addition, Git log is needed no matter which students.

What is the format of the weekly meetings?Need to spend time preparing PPT?

• Just prepare briefly, mainly prepare progress records.

What should I do if I can’t keep up with my studies?

• The Schedule provided by One Student One Chip only provides a reference time period.Everyone can advance step by step based on their basic abilities and available time.We will still arrange guidance.

What questions can Q&A provide guidance on?

• TAs will point out the direction and tell everyone the ideas.For example, TA tell you need to use Git, but don’t teach you how to use Git.
• We hope everyone will take the initiative to explore first. Unless it is a last resort (the Bug is stuck for a week and there is no progress), TAs will not give too detailed guidance.
• Many materials are available in textbooks and online. As long as you spend some time searching and practicing, you can solve them yourself.
• The ability to actively explore and practice is the core of the entire "One Student One Chip" Initiative.

Approximately how much time do you invest per week?

• It's hard to generalize, everyone's foundation is different.You can try it out by participating in preliminary first.

What should I do if I am wrongly convicted of cheating?

• The basis for judging whether to cheat is the work records submitted daily and Git log.
• If there is a misjudgment, you can file an appeal with the project team and we will organize a second round of expert review to make a determination.

What is the form of the preliminary defense?

• Let’s have a brief chat, mainly to understand how everyone has completed the preliminary stage and their enthusiasm for the project.

What is the maximum preliminary time limit?

• There is no limit to study time.It’s just that there are time nodes for tape-out.

Is the recommended tutorial in English or Chinese?

• Usually in English.

Chip Implementation

• There is no requirement to use Chisel, you can choose the language by yourself. However, it is recommended that students with Verilog foundation choose Chisel.
• The project team will mainly answer questions about Chisel and Verilog.
• We recommend learning materials for Chisel in the reference materials.
• VHDL is not supported yet. If there are multiple languages, SoC integration will be more complicated.

** "One Student One Chip" must be based on RISC-V?**

• Yes, RV64.

Is it possible to add Cache?

• Yes, and it is required in the tape-out indicator.However, there are specification restrictions, which will be explained in the handouts.

Is the SoC back-end uniformly handed over to a certain student or can everyone do it?

• Work related to back-end physical design is carried out offline, and interested students can contact the TA.

Does one person design a chip from front-end to back-end?

• Mainly the front-end, the back-end involves license, which currently cannot be open to every student.

Others

• We have.There is official video account on BiliBili.

How to add contact information for the father of Chisel?

• This is GitHub homepage.

What exactly does “revere chip” refer to?

• We hope everyone will treat the project with a serious, rigorous and responsible attitude.

Where can I see past codes?

• It is not recommended that students read past codes.