Synopsys, GlobalFoundries to establish pilot program for educational chip design

Synopsys (SNPS) and GlobalFoundries (GFS) announced a new collaboration to launch an educational ‘chip design to tapeout’ program for universities worldwide. Aligned with both GFLabs’ and Synopsys Academic & Research Alliances’ missions to advance semiconductor innovation through R&D and academic collaboration, this pilot initiative gives researchers, professors and students hands-on access to real-world chip design and manufacturing. By dramatically lowering the cost barrier to custom silicon, the program enables academic institutions to turn their design concepts into working silicon, expanding opportunities for education, research and workforce development. Forty universities worldwide are participating in the sponsored open-source 180MCU pilot launching this fall. Synopsys will provide comprehensive support including professional-grade electronic design automation tools, training and design collateral leveraging the Synopsys Cloud design platform. Once designs are finalized, GF will manufacture the chips through its GlobalShuttle Multi-Project Wafer Program, which aggregates designs from multiple institutions onto a single wafer for fabrication.