Getting Started with Open Source Silicon, Presented By: Matthew Venn

Abstract: In this presentation, Matt Venn will share his experience of getting started with chip design using the free and open source tools. Going from zero to 20 chips in 3 years, there are plenty of successes and failures to share. Matt will then move on to sharing the best resources, inspirational example projects, and showcase some of his own tools. The presentation will finish with a demonstration showing just how easy and cheap it is to get your own chip manufactured today.

[@matthewvenn]

0:00 intro
3:30 my intro
4:12 what this talk will cover
7:20 my background
10:00 getting started with something and being bad at it
11:55 history and context
19:57 what went wrong with MPW1
22:58 Q&A part 1
32:00 tool overview
41:00 siliwiz - analog layout in the browser
44:00 Q&A part 2
51:17 example projects
55:00 Q&A part 3
57:00 Tiny Tapeout
1:05:00 Hackaday supercon, 30 people taped out in 3 hours
1:14:00 IHP fab tour
1:16:00 Connect with me - slides
1:18:00 Final Q&A

[@thatguy6442]

33:00

[@aduedc]

Public Domain tools are good for learning, but not for large scale production. Because the Highest cost is not the cost of tools, or even the cost of tape out. The highest cost is the cost of engineering time for development. It is like running a auto repair shop with amateur tools. Imagine instead of titanium screw drivers, you use aluminum screw drivers. Instead of using a compressor you use a hand pump.

[@RevolutionEDA]

This is very true. This is the gap that Revolution EDA is trying to fill. The aim is to create a professional grade schematic to GDS flow. The basic flow will be free with add-ons either free or paid depending on the developers' wishes.

[@quantumsmith371]

I think in practice this is only true at very large companies. At small design houses the cost of the tools dominate. I remember a conversation with a founder who was choosing between meeting payroll or buying a ir sim license from one of the vendors.

[@RevolutionEDA]

@@quantumsmith371 Again, this is why Revolution EDA is targeting professional custom IC designers.