GF180MCU Run 3 is Here!
Hey folks,
It’s that time again – Run 3 is open for submission.
What’s new?
We’re now able to offer 1,000 dies for as little as $2,000 – that’s $2/die. This is achievable thanks to our newest slot offering: the 0.5x0.5 quarter slot. This tiny slot packs a punch with 4.9 mm² of silicon allowing you to tapeout test structures, analog circuits, or compact digital designs without paying for silicon you do not need.
Quarter slot overlaid on a full slot die for size comparison
Detailed comparisons between the different slot sizes can be seen at mithro.github.io/gf180mcu-project-template/. If you’re not sure what size would suit you best, don’t hesitate to reach out to us or our community - see the Get Involved section.
Behind the scenes, there have been various toolchain improvements and bugfixes to make the processes a lot smoother. The submission platform now catches more issues, earlier and faster. Stricter DRCs allow you to be confident in your tapeout.
With Run 2 closed, there’s another batch of open source designs available for you to study, adapt and build upon for your own tapeout. Projects vary from simple test structures to Linux-capable SoCs, covering digital, analog and mixed-signal approaches.
Schedule
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1 August 2026 | Campaign opens on Crowd Supply. |
| 15 December 2026 | Slot purchase deadline. |
| 29 December 2026 | Deadline to submit GDS files. |
| Q2 2027 | Bare dies and packaged parts shipped to customers. |
Get Involved
If you are interested in Run 3, or if you want to share it with someone who the previous runs, here is how to stay in the loop:
- Run 3 Launch Page: Visit our Crowd Supply page for more information about Run 3 and how you can get started
- Discord: wafer.space/discord
- Matrix: wafer.space/matrix
Thank You
To our community and the wider open source silicon ecosystem – thank you. Your help in backing these runs, testing your designs, contributing patches to the tools and providing feedback about anything and everything has been monumental in helping shape all of our runs, and Run 3 is no different. You help us make Run 3 the best it can be, and we hope to keep bringing opportunities for future tapeouts. Thank you for being a part of this - see you on the next tapeout.
