It literally says “32 bit RISC-V homemade CPU out of discrete components”.
I dont know how you would stretch the definition of cpu in form of discrete components but yea current processors also stray from the definition of a alu and a control unit and registers since people call the different cores cpus. But even a Mikrocontroller has a all that.
You need a cpu to run linux. If you just want to rin a “program” you can do that with logic gates and no alu or control unit but that would limit the form of your program to exactly that circuit.
Dc transmission lines at 10kv? Dc transmission lines make sense when you need to pass a really long distance or you can only use underground cables because those have a much higher capacitaance, i.e. high reaktive currents.
If you need to supply your rural area or town you will go from some 20kv lines down to lots of 3kv and then 400v lines with multiple transformers everywhere. Dc transmission doesnt make sense here, but supplying a grid from really far away with a single line? Yea.