Frankfurt (Oder). Today, IHP - Leibniz Institute for High Performance Microelectronics and Chile's Advanced Center for Electrical and Electronic Engineering (AC3E) announce a three-year collaboration to promote open-source semiconductor technologies, design tools and manufacturing.
The cooperation bridges two key goals: expanding the open-source hardware ecosystem and training specialists in open chip design. IHP will provide access to qualified semiconductor technologies and selected exploratory technologies, as well as expertise in process design kits (PDKs), chip manufacturing and open design workflows. AC3E will connect these resources with Chilean researchers and the country’s pool of open-source hardware designers, developers and users.
The programme will include student and academic personnel exchanges, such as internships and research visits at IHP. It will additionally support joint tutorials, workshops, dedicated university courses, as well as promote access to Open Silicon Multi-Project Wafer (MPW) runs for educational and research designs. Bilateral collaboration together with the access to open MPW runs will allow participants to apply their knowledge in real chip projects and gain experience across the development process, from circuit design and verification to the validation of the manufactured silicon.
A central feature of the collaboration is IHP’s ability to provide the semiconductor technology, the corresponding PDK and the manufacturing infrastructure within one institution. This allows a seamless information flow across the full development chain without coordinating between separate technology, software and fabrication providers. The scientists will use this infrastructure to develop and evaluate benchmark circuits, explore the capabilities of IHP’s SiGe-BiCMOS technologies and build reusable open-source IP blocks for future design projects and tutorials.
“The open-source ecosystem will only grow if we build a strong community around it. Tools are an important starting point, but we also need more people who can use and improve them, as well as institutions that provide reliable access to the underlying technologies,” says Krzysztof Herman, Scientist at IHP and Project Coordinator.
Over the three-year programme, the partners plan to develop shared design resources, launch student projects, deliver tutorials in Latin America and Europe, and promote access to open design and manufacturing services. By widening access to tools, expertise and fabrication, IHP and AC3E aim to strengthen open-source hardware as a model for semiconductor research, education and innovation.
