Projects Overview
Building the Open Computing Stack
PowerCommons develops interconnected projects that together create a complete, transparent, and sovereign computing platform. Each project advances specific technical goals while contributing to the larger vision of liberation technology.
Core Processor Projects
✅ Microwatt Xilinx VCU-118 Integration
Status: Complete | Delivered: September 2025
Successfully integrated Microwatt processor with enterprise-grade features, enabling Linux boot on modern FPGA platforms.
Achievements:
- Added VCU-118 support to Microwatt SoC (FuseSoC + VHDL). This additionally sets up LEDs to debug issues with clock, reset signal, UART etc.
- Extended Microwatt SoC LiteDRAM support to VCU-118 board
- Fixed LitexBios and LitexSoC to support Linux on Microwatt as Litex BIOS was only designed to boot RISC V.
Why It Matters: Established VCU-118 as the primary development platform for high-end OpenPower FPGA work.
🔥 PowerCommons A2O: OpenPower A2O Core Revival
Status: Active Development | Target: Q4 2025
Reviving IBM’s battle-tested A2O processor - the out-of-order superscalar core that powered Blue Gene/Q supercomputers. This enterprise-grade processor brings serious computational power to the open hardware ecosystem.
Key Objectives:
- Restore compatibility with modern FPGA toolchains
- Fix timing closure and synthesis issues
- Create comprehensive documentation
- Establish software toolchain
Why It Matters: A2O provides the high-performance computing capability needed for real-world workloads, from scientific computing to database servers.
🏗️ PowerCommons SoC Platform
Status: Architecture Phase | Target: 2026
Creating the world’s first fully open System-on-Chip with verifiable security from boot to application. Combines Microwatt (control) and A2O (compute) processors in a heterogeneous architecture.
Key Objectives:
- Integrate dual-core heterogeneous design
- Implement open BMC replacement
- Create secure boot architecture
- Develop complete firmware stack
Why It Matters: Eliminates the last proprietary components in modern computing systems, including the hidden management engines.
Project Integration Strategy
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ PowerCommons Platform │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ │
│ │ Microwatt │◄────►│ A2O │ │
│ │ (Boot) │ │ (Compute) │ │
│ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ │
│ ▲ ▲ │
│ └────────┬───────────┘ │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌─────────────┐ │
│ │ LiteX │ │
│ │ Framework │ │
│ └─────────────┘ │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌──────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Peripherals & Memory │ │
│ └──────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
“The future is not some place we are going, but one we are creating. The paths are not to be found, but made.” - John Schaar