@@ -22,16 +22,16 @@ These nodes, however, carry no practical value alone. In order to be useful, it
## ... and how will we make it happen?
We aim to take an active role in driving forward the change and reaching the objectives outlined before. Considering the fact that the free and open-source silicon ecosystem is growing explosively since the second half of the 2010s, many of the objectives are addressed already by others. In these cases, we want to support their effort and adapt their results, without aiming at realizing the same goal in a different way, thus preventing the fragmentation of the ecosystem. In other topics, however, there is either no progress or the progress is not going in the desirable direction. In these cases, we take a leading role, using the fullest possible extent of our expertise, commitment and resources. Our focus topics, without particular order, are the following:
***Develop free technology nodes**, including manufacturing recipes, test structures, primitive devices, logic, padring, analog and other libraries, characteristization methodology, and PDK support.
***Develop free technology nodes**, including manufacturing recipes, test structures, primitive devices, logic, padring, analog and other libraries, characterization methodology, and PDK support.
***Drive the adoption of these nodes**, by providing the necessary documentation, consulting and technical support. We also aim to set the example to follow by being early adopters of our own technology nodes, including the provision of actual manufacturing service.
***Elaborate novel business models** to support the emergence of universal and affordable access to semiconductor technologies. This includes among others, novel manufacturing operation organization concepts, troughput optimization for low-volume or high-volume production, and the introduction of new, connected manufacturing concepts and equipment.
***Develop novel manufacturing equipment** enabling low-volume-capable, high-flexiblity manufacturing, with primary focus on maskless lithographic technologies.
In addition to these efforts, we also aim at providing valuable contribution in the efforts of other with a shared goal, including:
In addition to these efforts, we also aim at providing valuable contribution in the efforts of others with a shared goal, including:
***Drive the necessary paradigm shift** by advocating for free and open-source silicon solutions in real-life applications
***Support the education on IC design-related skillset** by taking active role in the formation of training materials, supporting and organizing events like Hackathons or workshops
***Support the development of EDA tools** by advising on, and contributing to, the developemnt of FOSS IC design software
***Support the education on IC design-related skillset** by taking active role in the formation of training materials, supporting and organizing events like Hackathons or workshops and mentoring
***Support the development of EDA tools** by advising on, and contributing to, the development of FOSS IC design software
***Increase the scope and quality of available free silicon IP libraries** by developing our own libraries and contributing to the development of others
