Open Circuit Design: Chipalooza Challenge

Chipalooza Challenge

Tim Edwards: Open Source Silicon Advocate 

Calling on all analog designers!

What is Chipalooza Challenge?

The goal of Chipalooza Challenge is to provide open source libraries of high-quality analog components useful to designers of SoCs for all three major open source PDKS (Sky130, GF180MCU, and IHP SG13CMOS5L), enabling cross-platform porting of SoCs as well as providing a wealth of information for analog designers.

Chipalooza Challenge started under Efabless in 2024, resulting in dozens of analog circuits for Sky130 that were placed on two test chips and now exist in GitHub repositories. The new challenge aims to do the same for GF180MCU and IHP SG13CMOS5L, as well as create a place where designers can go to find the open source IP that they need.

There will be five separate challenges across two years (2026 to 2028), so that there are two challenges for each of the three open KS counting the original Efabless challenge as the first for Sky130). They will be spaced apart by about 3 months each, with overlapping schedules.

How do I get involved?
Keep up with posts on https://fossi-chat.org/#chipalooza. Follow the schedule, join challenge meetings, and send in your analog IP proposal to Open Circuit Design by the posted due date.

When does it start?
Due to limited time before the next HP run, the first challeng has already started! 

Proposals are due July 27. 

However, for the first challenge there will be a 2-week grace period. But the shuttle schedule is fixed, so any delay cuts the design time, so try to get proposals in as early as you can!

What does it cost?
The Chipalooza Challenge is paid for and will pay the designers for good designs. The funding source will be announced when the first funds arrive. The schedule of awards will be posted soon.