The open RISC-V instruction set architecture is gaining traction with both semiconductor vendors and systems companies. But how to verify the RISC-V processor implementation, especially when developing the RTL and/or adding custom instructions? The goal of this paper is to report on the techniques used and lessons learned for the verification of a RV64IMACBNSU RISC-V processor by an experienced SoC design team, including the development of the reference model and the SystemVerilog and C encapsulation of the reference model, the step-and-compare flow used included co-debug, and the Specman environment.
