Summary of EFABLESS LAUNCHES CHIPIGNITE WITH SKYWATER TO BRING CHIP CREATION TO THE MASSES
Efabless launched chipIgnite, a program (in collaboration with SkyWater) that lowers barriers to chip design by offering low-cost fabrication on SkyWater’s open-source 130 nm (SKY130) process, a pre-designed carrier chip/reference design, development board and firmware, optional automated open-source RTL-to-layout flow, and guaranteed project reservations to simplify validation and production for both open and private commercial designs.
Parts used in the chipIgnite:
- Pre-designed carrier chip / full chip reference design template
- Development board
- Firmware stack
- Optional automated open-source design flow (RTL-to-layout)
- SkyWater Open Source PDK (for SKY130 process)
- SkyWater’s open-source 130 nm CMOS (SKY130) fabrication node
- 10 mm2 project area allocation on the carrier chip
- Program includes a pre-designed carrier chip and automated open source design flow from Efabless
- SkyWater’s open source SKY130 process is the first node to be used to fabricate chips for the program
- Initiative removes access barriers by significantly reducing cost and the need for deep semiconductor experience to design chips
Efabless, a community chip creation platform, today announced the launch of its new chipIgnite program to bring chip design and fabrication to the masses and collaboration with SkyWater Technology for the first node supported in the program. The chipIgnite program expands upon the SKY130-based open-source chip manufacturing program sponsored by Google and supports private commercial designs that include non-open source IP. This initiative represents another step forward in the industry to broaden access to chip design by giving people the ability to more easily create and fabricate chips.
The chipIgnite program offers unique value to the designer which includes not only low-cost manufacturing but also a development board and firmware stack to simplify design validation and test. All projects created as part of the chipIgnite program will utilize a full chip reference design template that implements the physical IO for the chip as well as provides a common management area to support the test and evaluation of the user’s design. The program also includes an optional automated open-source design flow for implementing projects that enable users to generate layouts for their digital projects from RTL. The chipIgnite program will provide users a guaranteed reservation to ensure their project is included.
SkyWater’s open-source 130 nm CMOS platform will be used to fabricate chips for the chipIgnite program. The automotive-grade mixed-signal platform is well suited for IoT and edge computing as it is in a sweet spot for enabling a combination of both digital and analog circuit performance with embedded non-volatile memory for a wide range of SoC architectures. The program provides users 10 mm2 of the total project area with fabrication for projects using the SkyWater Open Source PDK.
Read more: EFABLESS LAUNCHES CHIPIGNITE WITH SKYWATER TO BRING CHIP CREATION TO THE MASSES
- What is chipIgnite?
chipIgnite is an Efabless program, in collaboration with SkyWater, that offers low-cost chip design and fabrication using SkyWater's open-source 130 nm SKY130 process and provides development hardware, firmware, and design tools. - Can I use private or non-open source IP in the program?
Yes, the program supports private commercial designs that include non-open source IP. - What fabrication process is used for chipIgnite projects?
Projects are fabricated using SkyWater’s open-source 130 nm CMOS platform, SKY130, via the SkyWater Open Source PDK. - What development resources does chipIgnite provide?
The program provides a pre-designed carrier chip reference design, a development board, and a firmware stack to simplify validation and testing. - Does chipIgnite offer automated design tools?
Yes, there is an optional automated open-source design flow that enables users to generate layouts for digital projects from RTL. - How much chip area is available per project?
The program provides users 10 mm2 of the total project area. - Is the SKY130 node suitable for analog and digital designs?
Yes, SkyWater’s automotive-grade mixed-signal SKY130 platform is suited for IoT and edge computing, supporting both digital and analog performance with embedded non-volatile memory. - Does chipIgnite guarantee fabrication for submitted projects?
The program provides users a guaranteed reservation to ensure their project is included.
