Firmware Development
Neural Inverse includes a purpose-built firmware development environment. When you open a firmware project, the IDE activates hardware context — loading your MCU's register maps, datasheet data, timing constraints, and compliance rules directly into the LLM context for every code completion and agent interaction.
Firmware development is available in the open source edition.
Supported Hardware
MCU Architectures
| Architecture | Examples |
|---|---|
| Cortex-M0 / M0+ | STM32F0, STM32L0, RP2040 |
| Cortex-M3 | STM32F1, STM32F2, LPC1768 |
| Cortex-M4 | STM32F4, STM32G4, nRF52, SAM4 |
| Cortex-M7 | STM32F7, STM32H7, i.MX RT |
| Cortex-M23 / M33 | STM32L5, STM32U5, nRF9160 |
| Cortex-M55 / M85 | Arm Cortex-M55, Corstone-315 |
| Cortex-A / Cortex-R | Application and real-time profiles |
| RISC-V | GD32VF103, ESP32-C3, ESP32-C6 |
| Xtensa LX6/LX7 | ESP32, ESP32-S2, ESP32-S3 |
| TriCore | Infineon AURIX TC3xx (automotive) |
| C28x / MIPS32 | TI C2000 real-time DSP |
| AVR | ATmega, ATtiny, XMEGA |
| PIC | PIC16, PIC18, PIC32 |
| MSP430 | Texas Instruments MSP430 |
| ARM7TDMI | Classic ARM7 devices |
| PowerPC | NXP MPC5xxx, Power Architecture |
| Renesas RX | RX100, RX200, RX600 |
| 8051 | Legacy 8051-compatible devices |
Manufacturers
STMicroelectronics, Nordic Semiconductor, Espressif, NXP, Texas Instruments, Microchip, Renesas, Infineon, Arm, Raspberry Pi Foundation, and others. Total: 357+ MCU variants across 11 manufacturers.
Setting Up a Firmware Session
- Open the Firmware Environment panel from the aux sidebar.
- Select your MCU family and variant (e.g.
STM32F4→STM32F407VGT6). - Optionally specify a board name.
- The session loads automatically — SVD register maps are parsed and injected.
The session state is persisted to a Firmware.inverse file in your workspace root. On next open, the IDE restores the MCU config, loaded SVD files, datasheets, and last-used serial port config.
SVD Auto-Load
Neural Inverse ships with bundled SVD files for common MCU variants. When you start a firmware session, the matching SVD is parsed automatically.
SVD data provides:
- Peripheral list — all peripherals available on the MCU (e.g.
USART1,TIM2,SPI1,ADC1) - Register maps — address offsets, reset values, access types for every register
- Bit fields — name, bit offset, bit width, access type, description, and enumerated values for every bit field
This data is injected into the system prompt for every LLM interaction while the firmware session is active.
You can also load custom .svd files for MCUs not in the bundled database.
Datasheet Intelligence
Drop a PDF datasheet into the Firmware Environment panel. Neural Inverse uses your configured LLM to extract:
- Peripheral register maps — structured register/bit-field data from datasheets that don't have SVD files
- Timing constraints — setup/hold times, clock frequencies, rise/fall requirements
- Errata — silicon errata and workarounds
Extracted data is merged with SVD data into the active session context.
Hardware Agent Tools
When a firmware session is active, 22+ specialized fw_* tools are registered and available to the chat and Power Mode agents:
Core Hardware Tools
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
fw_get_mcu_info | Returns MCU config: family, variant, core, clock, flash/RAM sizes, FPU, MPU, DSP |
fw_list_peripherals | Lists all peripheral names available in the session |
fw_get_register_map | Returns full register map for a named peripheral |
fw_get_peripheral_config | Returns config (clock, pins, mode) for a peripheral |
fw_get_bit_field_info | Returns bit field definition for a specific register field |
Build Analysis Tools
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| Build system detection | Detects CMake, Make, IAR, Keil, and other build systems |
| Map file parser | Parses .map files to show section sizes and symbol placement |
| Flash/RAM usage | Reports flash and RAM consumption vs. available capacity |
Serial Tools
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| Serial monitor connect | Opens a serial connection to the target device |
| Serial read | Reads data from the serial port |
| Serial write | Sends data to the device |
Debug Tools
Run and interact with on-chip debuggers (OpenOCD, J-Link, pyOCD).
Code Generation Tools
Generate peripheral initialization code, ISR handlers, register configuration sequences, and driver stubs — all with correct register addresses and bit-field values from the loaded SVD.
Peripheral Intelligence Tools
Ask natural language questions about a peripheral and get answers grounded in the loaded SVD and datasheet data.
Compliance Tools
Check code against active compliance frameworks inline during coding.
Compliance Frameworks
Set one or more frameworks when starting a session:
| Framework | Domain |
|---|---|
| MISRA-C 2012 | General embedded C |
| MISRA-C 2023 | Updated general embedded C |
| CERT-C | Secure coding |
| IEC 62304 | Medical device software |
| ISO 26262 | Automotive functional safety |
| DO-178C | Airborne software |
| IEC 61508 | Industrial functional safety |
| AUTOSAR | Automotive software architecture |
Active frameworks are included in the system prompt and used by compliance tools during the session.
Status Bar
While a firmware session is active, the Neural Inverse status bar shows the current MCU variant and active peripheral. Click to open the Firmware Environment panel.