First OpenSUSI MPW

1st OpenSUSI MPW Typeout

Junichi Okamura, Representative Director of OpenSUSI

In October 2025, OpenSUSI, in collaboration with Tokai Rika Co., Ltd., announced the disclosure of PDK information related to the company's 1μm CMOS process. Subsequently, created an environment for open source PDK in OpenSUSI's GitHub repository [1], and launched the open-source semiconductor manufacturing shuttle service "OpenSUSI-MPW" through OpenSUSI's website [1].

For this first OpenSUSI-MPW, by the application deadline on September 18, we received a total of 49 applications from companies, schools, and individuals, exceeding expectations. Users are not limited to individual designers; multiple private companies also use it as a practical tool for developing semiconductor design talent within their in-house structures. In addition, we received two applications for two slots from DX High Schools (key semiconductor schools), as well as many applications from several technical colleges and universities to utilize these slots in semiconductor design education. The manufactured chips are scheduled to be delivered to users around February 2027.

The main goal of OpenSUSI-MPW is not only to establish an open PDK and design environment, but also to provide an environment where everyone can experience manufacturing semiconductors they actually design and actually handling them as actual chips. This first session was the first achievement in which the environment was actually utilized by a diverse range of users, from high schools to companies.

[read more...]

REF:
[1] https://github.com/OpenSUSI/TR-1um
[2] https://www.opensusi.org/mpw-service
[3] YouTube Channel "Ichiken / ICHIKEN": https://www.youtube.com/c/ICHIKEN-video
[4] Recent Invited OpenSUSI Conference Presentation 

IEEE ICTA Special OpenPDK Session; October 22, 2026, Singapore

Contact Information:

General Incorporated Association OpenSUSI

Junichi Okamura (Representative Director)

[OpenSUSI] First Tyepout

J. I. Okamura

New Semiconductor Design Programs with Japan’s Open Source Ecosystem

[Society News] in IEEE Solid-State Circuits Magazine, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 87-88, Summer 2026, 

doi: 10.1109/MSSC.2026.3708432

Abstract: Open Source Utilized Silicon Initiatives (OpenSUSI), founded in April 2024 as a nonprofit organization, has been working closely with two Japanese legacy foundries to foster an open source silicon ecosystem in Japan. On 19 September 2025, TOKAI RIKA Co., Ltd., a 6-inch legacy foundry in Japan, announced the release of a non-disclosure-free process design kit (PDK) as an open source platform [1]. This new open source PDK, called TR-1um [2], was released via the OpenSUSI GitHub repository, and, since last October, we have been cleaning up and maintaining it alongside our collaborators.

Fig. First Tapeout application form on the OpenSUSI homepage.

[OpenSUSI] Kicks off Five-Year Plan

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>

 

ISHI-kai OpenMPW

ISHI-kai (Inter-linked Society on Homemade IC Kai)

https://ishikai.connpass.com/event/382637/

The name was conceived from a society community (association) that deals with open (democratized) silicon semiconductor (ASIC/LSI/IC) and connects various R&D fields.

OpenMPW (Open Multi Project Wafer), which appeared as a pioneer of this, is a shuttle program born with Google's investment in Efabless, and is open and free of charge for semiconductors (ASIC/LSI/ICs), including the tools necessary for making semiconductors (ASIC/LSI/IC) to ISHI manufacturing in the fab. IC). This is exactly the "openness of semiconductors (ASIC/LSI/IC) and EDA/PDK" of the open source movement (democratization of software) that started with GNU! [read more...]

Time	Title	Speakers	Contents
20:00 - 20:30	End-to-end open-source Digital IC Design Participation Report	@jun1okamura/OpenSUSI	-
20:30 - 21:00	Various event reports such as academic conferences	@nishizawa#2174	-
21:00 - 21:30	I thought about the application of self-made LSIs that are no longer a niche	Yuuki Umeta/Newcomer	Although the base of self-made LSIs is expanding, there are still aspects that are established by public subsidies and donations from major companies. Therefore, it cannot be said that there is an established business model (with long-term financial sustainability). I thought it would be a hint for many people, so I thought about how to apply it like brainstorming.
21:30 - 22:00	The Game Participation Experience Report	@reodon	-
22:00 - 22:30	About the AX1001 SoC for SWEST27 Robots & IoT Edge	Susumu Yamazaki/SWEST27 Executive Committee & Associate Professor, Kitakyushu City University	This is a lecture given by Mr. Takeoka of Axe Co., Ltd. in SWEST27. The AX1001, a proprietary SoC developed for robots and IoT edges, is equipped with the ROS2rapper IP, which is a completely hardware-based ROS2 communication unit. At the same time, it is also equipped with a "Shochiku V" CPU that is an independent expansion of RISC-V. Shochiku V has multi-threaded control and semaphore by hardware, and realizes RTOS-equivalent functions only with hardware. Shochiku V also has an 8-bit floating-point vector arithmetic mechanism for ML and a Lisp/Prolog acceleration instruction.
22:30 - 23:00	Launch report of the ISHI Kai's GPS system on the Kagoshima rocket	@noritsuna	We will have the GPS system for rockets being created by the ISHI Association installed on the Kagoshima rocket and participate in the launch experiment. Therefore, we will report on the GPS system and the work of the rocket until the launch and the launch itself.
23:00 -	Chat Corner	Everyone	-