Open source process design kit for usage with SkyWater Foundry's 130nm node
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Re: Open source process design kit for usage with SkyWater Foundry's 130nm node
#2For those wondering, the 120nm node started in about the Pentium III days, processors up to 2ghz or so.
Blast from the past https://www.anandtech.com/show/690
(Only did a little research, someone more knowledgeable feel free to join in)
Re: Open source process design kit for usage with SkyWater Foundry's 130nm node
#3Seems they are located in a former Cypress plant, under the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, next to the Mall of America. I don't know why, but had them bookmarked already:
[1] https://www.skywatertechnology.com/
I'm a little puzzled by it being on googles github. Anyways, can't hurt, can it?
edit: Though 130nm sounds boring, this offering seems to aim to support many interesting and very modern features. So a mix of old and new seems possible.
edit: While following up the linked
[2] https://en.wikichip.org/wiki/130_nm_lithography_process
and wondering wtf
[3] https://en.wikichip.org/wiki/intrinsity/fastmath was
i came to [4] https://en.wikichip.org/wiki/intrinsity/fast14
and [5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domino_logic
Seems like [6] https://en.wikichip.org/wiki/intrinsity
was founded by the left overs of [7] https://en.wikichip.org/wiki/exponential_technology after Apple bought it, and then Apple bought those too!
Now I'm wondering how much of that, if any, is applied to the Apple A1x by the folks of PA-Semi, which Apple also bought.
Re: Open source process design kit for usage with SkyWater Foundry's 130nm node
#4What's the practicality of this? Assuming you can use the PDK to create a functional design what would your next step be? Will they accept orders yet?
Re: Open source process design kit for usage with SkyWater Foundry's 130nm node
#5Seems they are located in a former Cypress plant, under the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, next to the Mall of America. I don't know why, but had them bookmarked already: [1] https://www.skywatertechnology.com/ I'm a little puzzled by it being on googles github. Anyways, can't hurt, can it? edit: Though 130nm sounds boring, this offering seems to aim to support many interesting and very modern features…
[deleted]
Re: Open source process design kit for usage with SkyWater Foundry's 130nm node
#6Seems they are located in a former Cypress plant, under the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, next to the Mall of America. I don't know why, but had them bookmarked already: [1] https://www.skywatertechnology.com/ I'm a little puzzled by it being on googles github. Anyways, can't hurt, can it? edit: Though 130nm sounds boring, this offering seems to aim to support many interesting and very modern features…
Fast14 looked amazing and it's one of those technologies that seems/seemed so promising. It's a tragedy (for them) that their FastMATH missed the machine learning wave - simply too early!
Alas, with the Apple acquisition nobody else can use it and we don't even know if they use it (but see https://spectrum.ieee.org/semiconductors/processors/evidence...)
While Intrinsity claimed powered advantages, I've heard off-hand remarks that it was too power hungry. I speculate that dynamic logic might have mores issues as geometries shrink.
Re: Open source process design kit for usage with SkyWater Foundry's 130nm node
#7Seems they are located in a former Cypress plant, under the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, next to the Mall of America. I don't know why, but had them bookmarked already: [1] https://www.skywatertechnology.com/ I'm a little puzzled by it being on googles github. Anyways, can't hurt, can it? edit: Though 130nm sounds boring, this offering seems to aim to support many interesting and very modern features…
Fast14 looked amazing and it's one of those technologies that seems/seemed so promising. It's a tragedy (for them) that their FastMATH missed the machine learning wave - simply too early! Alas, with the Apple acquisition nobody else can use it and we don't even know if they use it (but see https://spectrum.ieee.org/semiconductors/processors/evidence... ) While Intrinsity claimed powered advantages, I've heard off-han…
Interesting. Thx.
Re: Open source process design kit for usage with SkyWater Foundry's 130nm node
#8There is also the OpenROAD[1][2] project aiming to make chip design and fabrication accessible.
Re: Open source process design kit for usage with SkyWater Foundry's 130nm node
#9This is a watershed moment.
An open PDK was the last road block for making open silicon chips.
It’s as important as say when Linus introduced an open source kernel with Linux after GNU had bumbling around getting nowhere for years.
A PDK is roughly analogous to what an assembler does for code in the code => compiler => assembler => machine code tool chain. Previously there were open silicon compilers but not open silicon assemblers.
A malicious party could inject all sorts of nastiness into your code if they control the assembler. The same is true for PDK’s. A malicious gate placement in just the wrong spot and your entropy source is massively compromised. Every piece of software runs on silicon - this would allow for the entire stack to be auditable for the first time. It lets you verify your open titan chip in your 2FA token is actually an open titan chip and not some made in China clone with a Bluetooth backdoor and titan badging.
I feared Sky Water gave up on releasing this PDK when an earlier initiative with another entity fell through. Glad to see Google step in and push this over the finish line.
Re: Open source process design kit for usage with SkyWater Foundry's 130nm node
#10What's the practicality of this? Assuming you can use the PDK to create a functional design what would your next step be? Will they accept orders yet?
Unless I’m missing something this is jumping the gun slightly. It looks like an empty document template with a few placeholder titles. It doesn’t actually contain any design rule information.