IC design software supplier SpringSoft has signed a multi-year technology agreement with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) to jointly develop and validate process design kits (PDKs) for chip manufacturing technologies.
Initially, the companies focused on the development of TMSC-qualified PDKs to support the designers using SpringSoft’s Laker custom IC design software at 90-nanometer (nm), 65nm, and 45nm nodes.
The companies said that SpringSoft Laker 65nm CMOS PDK, the first jointly developed deliverable, is immediately available. The PDK supports the TSMC 65nm CMOS logic, mixed-signal, and RF process for general purpose and low power designs. It includes optimised parameterised cells (Pcells) with pre-validated design rules and the new technology files. The SpringSoft Laker 65nm CMOS PDK can be accessed online by TSMC customers.
ST Juang, senior director of design infrastructure marketing at TSMC, said: Our collaboration with SpringSoft reinforces our industry-leading drive toward interoperable PDKs as the preferred long-term solution. It also ensures that more designers can utilise the full range of our advanced processes today with access to fully-qualified Laker PDKs in order to meet their more immediate needs.
