First project

This walk-through uses the recommended starter, MAC-8: a signed 8-bit multiply-accumulate unit. It arrives with a working design and a passing test, so every step succeeds the first time.

1. Create the project#

1. On Overview, choose Open Workspace. A terminal opens in the browser.
2. Type the command below and press Enter. When it asks for a starter, press Enter to take MAC-8.
3. Go back to Overview and refresh. Your project is in the Project menu.

nelix new mychip

2. Simulate#

On the Simulate card, press Simulate. The test multiplies pairs of signed numbers and checks the running total after each one. In a few seconds the card shows Passed.

Choose See the waveform to watch the signals. Follow the acc row from left to right: it grows with each product.

3. Synthesize#

Press Synthesize. The lab turns your code into logic gates. When it passes, See the schematic shows a multiplier, an adder that feeds back into the accumulator, and a register.

4. Build the chip#

Press Build the chip. This is the long step: usually a few minutes for MAC-8. A bar on the card shows the phase the build is in, from floorplan to sign-off.

When it passes, choose See the layout. That picture is your design as a chip: rows of standard cells, joined by metal wires.

5. Look at what you made#

• Chip report shows the measured timing, area and wire length.
• The Share tab on the project page makes a public page with a picture of your layout.

Now change something#

Open rtl/top.sv in the Workspace, change one line, and run the three stages again. Or open Design Chat and ask Nelix Agent to explain the design to you. See When a run fails for what happens when a change breaks the test.