Industry-Academia Collaboration Project Launches for Real Chip Manufacturing
Using NDA-Free PDK - Tokai Rika, Kyushu University, AIST Solutions,
OpenSUSI Kicks Off Five-Year Plan for FY2026
Tokai Rika Co., Ltd., Kyushu University, AIST Solutions Co., Ltd., and OpenSUSI have announced a joint project on a five-year plan to develop semiconductor human resources and verify their implementation through industry-academia collaboration to actually manufacture chips using PDK (Process Design Kit) that does not rely on NDAs (non-disclosure agreements). The 2026 launch ceremony was held. The biggest feature of this project is that it allows students to experience a series of processes from design to chip manufacturing under an open design environment using NDA-free PDKs #OpenPDKs
Positioning and future development in FY2026 as the first year that this project will be fully developed over a five-year span. Based on an open design and manufacturing environment utilizing NDA-free PDK #OpenPDK, we will continue and develop the following initiatives:
- Continuation and advancement of hands-on semiconductor human resource development
- Providing opportunities for actual chip manufacturing and verification using NDA-free PDK
- Building a practical and highly reproducible education and implementation model through industry-academia integration
- In exchange for the cost support for this program, we will embed the company's logo on the prototype chip to spread awareness of semiconductor design human resource development as a social contribution activity
(From left) Junichi Okamura, Representative Director of OpenSUSI,
Haruichi Kanaya, Professor of Kyushu University,
Taketoshi Sakurai, Executive Officer of Tokai Rika,
and Seiji Osaka, President and CEO of AIST Solutions
If you are interested or interested in this matter, please contact us at:
OpenSUSI Secretariat <secretary@opensusi.org>
