[Cryptech Tech] Alpha board strategy

[Randy Bush]

>> More specifically the C7 version:
>> http://www.altera.com/literature/hb/cyclone-v/cv_51001.pdf
>>
>> This device provides 150k logic elements, which is a bit more than 2x
>> the amount provided by the Xilinx Spartan-6 LX45 on the Novena (if we
>> allow us to do some apples and pears comparison). We would like to have
>> the C9 device since it would give us headroom to handle all we think we
>> want to put in the FPGA with room to spare.
> 
> Cool. That should be big enough to fit a CHERI CPU. As I mentioned
> before, I think this is a better option than ARM on account of having
> a far better memory protection model. Also means you don't have to
> rely on the CPU being honest (if you believe its hard to subvert an
> FPGA, that is).

the philosophy seems eminently sensible, but ...

if we want to keep under the pay-for-license ceiling, we are on a tight
LE budget.  this puts us in a nasty trade-off space.  how many LE does
a cheri cpu eat?

randy