Recommendations for open-source PDKs and EDA tooling
Open-source process design kits (PDK) and electronic design automation (EDA) tools are creating new opportunities for companies to accelerate chip design, lower the barriers to innovation, and explore new product ideas more cost-effectively.
To support companies in navigating the rapidly evolving open-source design landscape, EuroCDP has conducted a survey of the state of open-source EDA tools in the domains of digital, analog, mixed-signal, radio frequency (RF), and photonics design. The primary aim of the survey is to help designers assess whether open-source EDA tools are suitable for their projects, given their functional maturity and limitations. At the same time, the identified gaps serve as guidance for prioritizing improvements in the open-source EDA ecosystem.
“This study was important to conduct so that companies can immediately see what kinds of tools are available to meet their needs, rather than wasting time searching for them.”
– Rene Scholz
PDK
The survey revealed that the PDKs, of which one is European, are making chip design more accessible than before. Today, manufacturable open PDKs are available for technology nodes down to 130 nm, enabling companies and research teams to design real integrated circuits using openly available process information.
EDA
The maturity of open-source EDA tools varies by design domain. Digital design is currently the most advanced area, and analog design also has a usable end-to-end toolchain. In contrast, mixed-signal, RF, and photonics design still face significant gaps in tool availability, performance, and workflow integration compared with commercial solutions.
For companies, open-source EDA offers new opportunities for prototyping, education, research, and selected product development use cases. At the same time, tool limitations must be considered carefully when planning more demanding designs or advanced process node projects.
As open-source design ecosystems mature, companies increasingly need practical guidance on where these tools are already ready for use and where further development is still needed.
Based on the analysis, EuroCDP have prepared recommendations on open-source tools to be used in digital, analog, mixed signal, RF and photonics design flows. These recommendations help companies identify suitable tools for their needs, understand the current maturity of the ecosystem, and make more informed decisions when evaluating open-source design approaches.