Digital Design Education Using an Open-Source, Cloud-Based FPGA Toolchain

Digital design tools typically have a high barrier to entry: setup is challenging for beginners, and installation often requires a high-performance workstation. In this work, we present an educational framework for digital design using cloud-based resources and open-source tools. We leverage Google Colab notebooks to allow users to run FPGA simulation and design tools remotely, using only a simple web browser. The tools are capable of running simulations with visualizations, and can generate FPGA bitstreams for commercial devices. In addition, we have developed several notebook-based labs to teach digital design topics, including arithmetic, combinational and sequential circuits, and FSMs.