Open-Source Chip Design in Academic Education

Chip design is usually a high-effort, high-cost, and high- risk process. However, Google has recently taken the lead to bring chip design to a level where many engineers, researchers, and even students can actively participate. In this paper, we report on a course at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) where a group of BSc students were able to design and produce a chip using open-source tools and the SkyWater process. We present the toolchain, explain the implemented hardware architecture, and discuss the challenges encountered in the process as well as the learning values of the course. The project was finalized within one semester and has recently achieved tape-out for the next multi-project wafer manufacturing.