Hands-on chip design made accessible to everyone with open source tools

Last Saturday, DTU Compute brought together 80 participants for a new edition of our four‑hour Tiny Tapeout workshop. An intense, hands‑on session with Tiny Tapeout founder and open silicon visionary Matt Venn, taking attendees all the way from their very first MOSFET to an almost complete chip design ready for tapeout.

After each task, Matt rapped his way through the process to the slides (to repeat it) while the participants joined in on the chorus…

It is only the second time we have hosted the workshop at DTU Compute, and once again the interest was overwhelming. Two participants even travelled all the way from Berlin and Hamburg to join us – because the Tiny Tapeout format is a genuine game changer.

You gain hands‑on experience with chip design that would normally require far longer courses and expensive, specialised software tools. Tiny Tapeout makes chip design accessible to everyone through open‑source tools and a production model that allows participants to have their designs manufactured as real chips for a relatively small cost.

It feels like a grassroots movement is emerging through open‑source tools

Christian Hoene had travelled from Berlin earlier that morning. He was facing a genuine challenge. In addition to his role at Bosch, he runs his own company, Symonics, which works with technology that embeds invisible LEDs and integrates solar-active BIPV into glass façades. These façades become intelligent skins that generate clean energy and communicate through light.

Christian wants to develop a chip for use in a new product, but he has no prior experience in chip design:

“It’s exciting to take part. Workshops like this give us knowledge and access to work with chip design ourselves – something that would normally cost thousands and require specialist help. It feels like a grassroots movement is emerging through open‑source tools, giving many more people the chance to take part.”

Participation in the workshop costs just 100 DKK, and attendees can subsequently order fabrication of a physical chip for a small additional fee.

DTU Compute has also purchased PCB boards, making it possible to test the physical chips once they return from the fabrication facility.