Bringing together the old and the new: ChipHack EDSAC Challenge

Workshops running over two-and-a-half days will introduce a new generation to silicon chip design.

Driven by reducing costs and the wider availability, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) are being used in more and more devices, particularly in Internet of Things (IoT) incorporating custom silicon designs. Skills required in building these systems are limited and the goal of ChipHack is to grow a new community of silicon chip designers.

At the start of the computer age, the electronic delay storage automatic calculator (EDSAC) was an early British computer. Inspired by John von Neumann’s work, the machine was constructed by Maurice Wilkes and his team at the University of Cambridge Mathematical Laboratory in England.

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The workshop will be built around a re-imagining of the historic EDSAC computer in commemoration of the work by BCS founding President, Prof. Sir Maurice Wilkes. Details of EDSAC and its peripherals will be used so that this new generation understand the importance of such early computers in the context of modern technology. Members of the Computer Conservation Society, who had personal experiences of EDSAC, will be giving talks during this event.

The workshop is suited to complete beginners, experienced silicon chip designers and anyone in between. It will run Wednesday 6th September 2017 – Friday 8th September 2017. It is being held at Hebden Bridge Town Hall, Saint George’s Street, Hebden Bridge, HX7 7BY.

The event is being organised by Embecosm and is sponsored by the BCS Open Source Specialist Group and Computer Conservation Society.

For more details or to register click here.