We’re announcing a collaboration between wafer.space and Tiny Tapeout, creating a pathway from educational silicon projects to low-volume production. This partnership was highlighted by Matt Venn at the FSiC 2025 conference.

The Perfect Silicon Journey

Start with Tiny Tapeout: Get your first design manufactured on silicon for just $50-300. Tiny Tapeout provides an educational platform where you can learn the fundamentals of chip design without the complexity of a full chip project.

Transition to wafer.space: When you’re ready for low-volume production, wafer.space offers the next step. Apply your Tiny Tapeout experience to create a dedicated chip design starting at $7,000 for bare dies or $8,500 for wire-bonded chips.

Why This Partnership Matters

The collaboration addresses a gap in the silicon ecosystem - the jump from educational projects to low-volume chip manufacturing. With Tiny Tapeout and wafer.space, there’s now a clearer progression:

1. Learn: Start with Tiny Tapeout to understand the basics
2. Prototype: Use the shared tile space to test your concepts
3. Transition: Move to wafer.space for your dedicated chip
4. Produce: Use wafer.space for low-volume production runs

Common Process Option

Both platforms will offer GF180MCU process technology as an option. Tiny Tapeout is adding GF180MCU support to complement their existing SKY130 and iHP130 processes, providing a cost-effective alternative. Knowledge gained about timing, power, and area constraints in Tiny Tapeout’s GF180MCU runs can be applied to wafer.space projects.

Educational to Production Pipeline

This partnership creates an educational-to-production pipeline:

• Universities can offer students a path from education to low-volume production
• Startups can prototype affordably before committing to larger investments
• Hobbyists can turn passion projects into viable products
• Engineers can gain hands-on experience with real silicon

Getting Started

Ready to begin your silicon journey? Here’s how:

1. Join Tiny Tapeout: Start with their next shuttle to get your first design on silicon
2. Learn the Process: Understand the GF180MCU technology and design flows
3. Plan Your Transition: When you’re ready for a dedicated chip and low-volume production, wafer.space is available
4. Continue Production: Use our platform for ongoing low-volume manufacturing needs

From $50 educational projects to $7,000 low-volume production chips, we’re working to make silicon manufacturing more accessible.

Ready to start your silicon journey? Join Tiny Tapeout or learn more about wafer.space today.