FPGA-Neural/hardware/v2/docs/CHIP_READINESS.md

FPGA-Neural V2 — CHIP READINESS

Precise, non-vague criteria per the governing spec's own definition: V2 hardware is READY only when EVERY box below is checked. If even one fundamental item is missing, HARDWARE READY = NO — no OPEN ITEM is masked.

[x] RTL frozen                       -- nms_neural_multiprocessor_sdram_unified.v,
                                         zero V1 dependency, strict lint clean
[x] regression PASS                  -- 461/461 (isolated controller, 9 configs),
                                         40/40 (isolated unified backend)
[x] bit-exact PASS                   -- 256/256 neurons, N=2 AND N=4, single SDRAM
[x] SDRAM validation PASS            -- init/refresh/read/write/burst/masked-write,
                                         40 real refresh events, zero corruption
[x] N4 synthesis PASS                -- real Yosys 0.68+post, zero errors
[ ] N4 timing >= 80 MHz              -- MARGINAL: only 1/8 real P&R seeds pass
[ ] constraints complete             -- v2_unified.lpf exists, REAL and P&R-verified
                                         for 39/149 signals (clk/rst + full SDRAM bus);
                                         110-signal host bus still unassigned
[ ] pinout complete                  -- 149-signal inventory complete; SDRAM+clk/rst
                                         (39 signals) REALLY assigned from the official
                                         Lattice CSV and P&R-confirmed; host bus (110
                                         signals) deliberately unassigned (see below)
[ ] clock defined                    -- oscillator-vs-PLL decision NOT made
[ ] power defined                    -- rail voltages known; regulators NOT selected
[ ] FPGA configuration defined       -- standard pins identified; flash NOT chosen
[ ] host interface defined           -- BLOCKER: 110-pin raw bus, no real protocol
[x] schematic requirements complete  -- SCHEMATIC_READINESS.md's own block diagram
                                         and interconnection list are complete
[x] first-power-on test defined      -- FIRST_POWER_ON.md's own 12-step procedure
[ ] bitstream reproducible           -- NOT verified: no ball-assigned LPF exists to
                                         produce a REAL, board-usable bitstream from;
                                         the free-placement bitstreams used for
                                         verification this round are reproducible
                                         AS SIMULATION/FIT PROOFS ONLY, not as a
                                         real board-programmable artifact

7 of 14 items checked. HARDWARE READY = NO.

STEP20 update: a real SPI host interface RTL now exists (spi_host_bridge.v + fpga_neural_v2_top.v), narrowing item "host interface defined" from "does not exist" to "exists, protocol-correct in isolation, but NOT yet proven correct end-to-end" (errors.log ERR-0025 Part B, real and unresolved) — still unchecked, for a more specific reason than before. The STEP19 core (raw reg_* interface) remains bit-exact verified and was reconfirmed fresh this session via Verilator after an unrelated Icarus Verilog v13.0 toolchain regression was found and ruled out (ERR-0024).

Why each unchecked item is unchecked (no vague language)

Item	Why NOT checked
N4 timing ≥80MHz	8 real P&R seeds measured; only 1 (81.84MHz) clears 80MHz. This is a real MARGINAL result, not a PASS, per the governing spec's own explicit classification rule (some seeds pass, most do not).
Constraints complete	v2_unified.lpf real and P&R-verified for 39/149 signals (clock frequency + clk/rst + the full 37-signal SDRAM bus, sourced from the real Lattice pinout CSV found at ~/Downloads/ during this step's own pre-commit review). The 110-signal host bus is deliberately left unassigned.
Pinout complete	Signal inventory is complete (149, exactly matching real P&R); SDRAM+clk/rst (39 signals, 26%) are now really assigned and P&R-confirmed; the 110-signal host bus is unassigned, not because pin data is missing, but because that bus is not yet a real physical protocol (see below) — assigning it balls now would be premature.
Clock defined	No PLL exists in the RTL (confirmed: 0/4 EHXPLLL in every synthesis run); the board's real oscillator frequency (16MHz per prior project memory) does not match the RTL's own 80MHz requirement, and neither "new oscillator" nor "add a PLL" has been decided.
Power defined	Rail VOLTAGES are known from real datasheets; regulator SELECTION, CURRENT budget, and decoupling are not — no real power-estimation tool was run, and the previously-referenced board power-tree design is not accessible this session to confirm as a concrete plan.
FPGA configuration defined	Standard ECP5 config pins (TDI/TDO/TCK/TMS/PROGRAMN/INITN/DONE/CCLK) are correctly identified as existing and standard, but no configuration-flash part number or SPI-vs-JTAG-only bring-up approach has been chosen for V2 specifically.
Host interface defined	The RTL's own "host" ports are a 110-pin raw parallel test-harness bus (reg_valid/reg_node_id/etc.), not a real board protocol. No serializing bridge RTL exists. This is the single largest real gap between "simulated/synthesized" and "physically buildable."
Bitstream reproducible	Every P&R run this project has performed used free (unconstrained) I/O placement — a real, valid way to prove the design FITS the package, but not a way to produce a bitstream a real board's own fixed wiring could actually use.

What this means, precisely

The V2 hardware architecture itself — SDRAM device, controller, memory subsystem, compute datapath, N4/P8 configuration — is real, validated, and correct: bit-exact simulation, real synthesis, real place-and-route all confirm this. What remains is entirely physical- integration work: a real host interface, a real ball-level pinout, a real clock source decision, and real power/configuration component selection. None of these are memory-architecture, datapath, or correctness questions anymore — they are the next, concrete, well- defined engineering tasks, precisely enumerated in OPEN_ITEMS.md.

Final answer

HARDWARE FREEZE: PASS (architectural decision + RTL correctness)
CHIP READY:      NO