Soft-core RISC-V designs allow you to run a custom microcontroller (MCU) on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). This article introduces the higher-performance Ibex RISC-V core, and then demonstrates how it generates similar power signatures to a “real,” hard-core MCU. This sets the stage for future experimentation, since you can evaluate the security of an “off-the-shelf” design, and then add in features you might need such as specific cryptographic accelerators.