Budget silicon manufacturing.

Your Silicon Journey Starts Here

From $50 educational projects to $7,000 production chips

Start with Tiny Tapeout

Tiny Tapeout is the perfect entry point into the world of silicon. For just $50-300, you can get your first design manufactured on real silicon using the same GF180MCU process technology that powers wafer.space.

$50

Starting price for your first silicon

GF180MCU

Same process as wafer.space

What You'll Learn

Digital design fundamentals
Timing constraints and optimization
Power and area considerations
Silicon manufacturing process
Design validation and testing

Join Tiny Tapeout

"Tiny Tapeout democratizes chip design education, making it accessible to students, hobbyists, and engineers worldwide."

Matt Venn, Tiny Tapeout Founder

What is Tiny Tapeout?

Shared Silicon Approach

Tiny Tapeout uses a shared tile system that makes silicon manufacturing more accessible. Instead of requiring a full chip design, you create a small digital circuit that gets placed alongside dozens of other designs on a single silicon wafer.

How the Tile System Works:

Individual tiles: Each design gets a dedicated area (typically 160×100 μm)
Shared infrastructure: Common I/O, power, and testing circuits
Multiplexed access: Switch between different designs on the same chip
Cost sharing: Manufacturing costs split among all participants

Technical Specifications

Process:	GF180MCU (180nm)
Tile Size:	160×100 μm
Digital I/O:	8 pins per design
Clock:	Up to 50 MHz

The Partnership: Why It Makes Sense

Common Process Option

Both platforms will offer GF180MCU process as an option, allowing knowledge and designs to transfer from education to low-volume production.

Clear Progression Path

Start with shared tiles to learn and validate concepts, then transition to dedicated chips for low-volume production.

Community Ecosystem

Access to the same design tools, PDKs, and community knowledge across both educational and production platforms.

Timeline & Availability

Recent Announcement

At FSiC 2025, Matt Venn announced that Tiny Tapeout has secured funding to add GF180MCU support to their infrastructure. GF180MCU offers a cost-effective alternative to their existing SKY130 and iHP130 processes. Future GF180MCU tapeouts will be run through wafer.space.

Read the Announcement

Current Status

Funding secured for adding GF180MCU support
Partnership established with wafer.space for GF180MCU runs
Infrastructure porting in progress
First GF180MCU runs being planned

What's Coming

GF180MCU compatibility for all Tiny Tapeout tools
Enhanced tile specifications with 180nm capabilities
wafer.space manufacturing integration
Seamless graduation path to full production

Want to be notified when GF180MCU runs begin?

Join Tiny Tapeout Community Get wafer.space Updates

The Complete Silicon Pathway

From education to production, we've got you covered

1. Learn

Start with Tiny Tapeout to understand chip design fundamentals and get your first design on silicon.

2. Prototype

Use the shared tile space to test concepts and validate your designs before committing to larger projects.

3. Graduate

Move to wafer.space for low-volume production with a dedicated chip starting at $7,000 for bare dies or $8,500 for wire-bonded chips.

4. Scale

Continue with wafer.space for low-volume production runs and ongoing manufacturing needs.

Technical Comparison: Tiles vs Full Chip

Understanding the technical differences to choose your optimal path

Specification	Tiny Tapeout Tiles	wafer.space Full Chip
Silicon Area	160×100 μm (0.016 mm²)	3.88×5.07 mm (~20 mm²)
Design Freedom	Digital logic only Pre-defined I/O constraints	Complete chip design Custom I/O, analog, mixed-signal
I/O Pins	8 digital pins Shared through multiplexer	Custom pad frame Hundreds of I/O options
Clock Speed	Up to 50 MHz Shared clock distribution	Process-limited Custom clock networks
Packaging	PCB with test setup Educational/prototyping	Raw die Custom packaging available
Quantity	1 chip (shared) Your design is 1 tile	500-1,000 dies Low-volume production
Best For	Learning, prototyping, validation Students, hobbyists, concept testing	Low-volume production, complex designs Startups, companies, advanced projects

Start with Tiny Tapeout if:

You're new to chip design
Your design fits in digital logic
You want to learn the fundamentals
Budget is under $200
You need quick validation
Educational or hobbyist project

Go direct with wafer.space if:

You have chip design experience
Your design needs custom I/O
You require analog/mixed-signal
Budget allows $7,000-8,500
You need production quantities
Commercial or advanced project

Perfect for Everyone

Universities & Students

Offer silicon education from concept to low-volume production. Students can gain real chip design experience.

Startups & Entrepreneurs

Prototype affordably before committing to larger investments. Validate your concepts on real silicon.

Hobbyists & Makers

Turn passion projects into viable products. Experience the thrill of seeing your designs come to life.

Professional Engineers

Gain hands-on experience with real silicon. Stay current with modern chip design methodologies.

Ready to Begin Your Silicon Journey?

Join thousands of designers who have already started their path to silicon success.

Start Learning

Begin with Tiny Tapeout to get your first design on silicon and learn the fundamentals.