Tyrone Iras Marghuy, a former student of Achimota School and current undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) in the United States, has achieved a remarkable technological feat by designing and building a functional 8-bit Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU), often described as the “brain” of a computer, entirely from scratch in his dormitory.
The project, which Marghuy announced on Thursday, January 29, 2026, involved crafting a working ALU using approximately 3,488 MOSFET transistors. The design supports 19 arithmetic and logical operations, features an 8-bit datapath, a 5-bit control signal, and has been rigorously verified with over 1.245 million test vectors, achieving a 100% success rate.
Marghuy, a sophomore studying computer engineering with no prior experience in chip design, spent more than 250 hours over several months on the endeavour.
According to him, he begun his adventure with fundamental logic gates (such as NAND, NOR, XOR, and inverters) built transistor-by-transistor using tools like Electric VLSI, NGSpice, and others.
He shared that the initiative was motivated by a late-night thought of whether one could rebuild computing technology from basic components like MOSFETs if stranded in a medieval era, six months ago.
A notable personal highlight for Marghuy was independently discovering and implementing a circuit buffer — which he initially called a “correction valve” — to strengthen XOR outputs. He later learned its formal name in class, describing the moment as a quiet win that underscored his deep, hands-on learning approach.
The project represents Phase 1 of 3. Marghuy now plans to focus on optimization, error checks, ordering a custom PCB along with around 1,000 MOSFETs and supporting components, followed by assembly, soldering, and debugging — the phase he looks forward to most.
An interactive 3D simulation twin of the ALU is available online at https://alu.tmarhguy.com, allowing users to explore the design in detail.
Marghuy has made technical details, including a Verilog model, verification harness, and FPGA-mappable design, available for collaboration and further study.
Tyrone Iras Marghuy, gained national prominence in Ghana in 2021 when Achimota School initially denied him admission due to his Rastafarian dreadlocks, which conflicted with the school’s grooming policy.
He and his family challenged the decision in court, leading to a landmark High Court ruling in May 2021 that declared the denial unconstitutional and a violation of his rights to education, dignity, and religious freedom. The case, presided over by Justice Gifty Agyei Addo, set a significant precedent on religious expression in Ghanaian educational institutions.
After graduating from Achimota School, Tyrone is now pursuing his passion for technology at one of the world’s leading universities in the United States of America.