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OpenCores

OpenCores is a community developing digital open-source hardware through electronic design automation (EDA), with a similar ethos to the free software movement. OpenCores hopes to eliminate redundant design work and significantly reduce development costs. A number of companies have been reported as adopting OpenCores IP in chips, or as adjuncts to EDA tools. OpenCores is also sometimes cited as an example of open source in the electronics hardware community. OpenCores has always been a commercially owned organization. In 2015, its core active users established the independent Free and Open Source Silicon Foundation (FOSSi Foundation), and created another directory on the librecores.org website as the basis for all future development, independent of commercial control. It has been shut down to redirect to a post on the FOSSi Foundation website seven years later in favor of a simple web search, reasoning that "free and open source silicon is no longer a dream". Damjan Lampret, one of the founders of OpenCores, stated on his website that it began in 1999. The new website and its objectives were reported publicly by EE Times in 2000 and CNET News in 2001. Through the following years it was supported by advertising and sponsorship, including by Flextronics. In mid-2007 an appeal was put out for a new backer. That November, Swedish design house ORSoC AB agreed to take over maintenance of the OpenCores website. EE Times reported in late 2008 that OpenCores had passed the 20,000 subscriber mark. In October 2010 it reached 95,000 registered users and had approximately 800 projects. In July 2012 it reached 150,000 registered users. During 2015, ORSoC AB formed a joint venture with KNCMiner AB to develop bitcoin mining machines. As this became the primary focus of the business, they were able to spend less time with the opencores.org project. In response to the growing lack of commitment, the core OpenRISC development team set up the Free and Open Source Silicon Foundation (FOSSi), and registered the librecores.

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