Free Silicon Foundation @fsi@mastodon.f-si.org

FSiC2025 is fully booked.

120+ engineers, hackers, and researchers will gather in Frankfurt an der Oder to discuss libre EDA, PDKs, on-going projects and more.

Check the program at:
https://wiki.f-si.org/index.php/FSiC2025

Video recordings will be published after the conference.

#openHardware #semiconductor #silicon #freeSilicon #FOSS #NGIZero

For example, permissive licences would allow big-EDA to "steal" the best open-source projects and to sell their programs without releasing the source.

Some popular permissive licences, moreover, don't contain any "patent clause" making them dangerous in the chip/hardware context: Tracking which IP went in which chip is relatively simple, and replacing a certain IP once a chip is fabricated is impossible. Without a "patent clause" developers could be easily threatened for patent infringement. 

This EU call refers to the following roadmap which was coordinated by the FOSSi foundation, an entity which received money from Google and big-EDA:
https://fossi-foundation.org/resources/eu-roadmap

The call says that "this roadmap should be considered in proposals".

This roadmap recommends "OSI-approved licences" (ignoring the #FSF) and hints to a "permissive development model".
We strongly disagree with promoting permissive licences in all situations because they may enable unsustainable exploitation scenarios:

This 20MEur call follows years of lobbying the European Commission (EC) for open-source support:

* In January 2020 we published recommendations for the EC about Free and Open-Source (FOS) Silicon Hardware:
https://wiki.f-si.org/index.php?title=White_paper_for_the_EC,_January_2020

* In November 2023 we published a roadmap for the EC:
https://wiki.f-si.org/index.php?title=Recommendations_and_roadmap_for_the_development_of_open-source_silicon_in_the_EU

The European Commission just published a 20MEur call for the development of open-source Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools:

https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/calls-for-proposals?callIdentifier=HORIZON-JU-CHIPS-2025-IA-EDA-two-stage&isExactMatch=true&status=31094501,31094502,31094503&order=DESC&pageNumber=1&pageSize=50&sortBy=startDate

The relevant part is on page 17 of "Annex 2, Appendix 6":
https://www.chips-ju.europa.eu/File/download.aspx?entity=shv_library&attribute=shv_file&ID=cc42159a-30ed-ef11-9341-7c1e5235a121

The first deadline is on April 29. In case of interest contact us -we will help you to get in touch with the forming Consortia.

We are glad to announce the next edition of the Free Silicon Conference (#FSiC) which will be held at IHP Microelectronics (Frankfurt an der Oder) on July 2, 3, 4 2025:
https://wiki.f-si.org/index.php/FSiC2025

Please help us to spread the voice and to identify new open-silicon projects and new open-source Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools.

To propose or suggest an idea just answer to this toot or write at fsic2025'at'f-si.org.

#openHardware #semiconductor #silicon #GoIT #NGIZero

#IHP offers a new certificate course in digital #chip design using #OpenROAD. The program covers everything from the basics of design to behavioral descriptions, simulation, and verification. The first event in February 10-14 is free of charge.

For registration and more details:

https://www.ihp-microelectronics.com/events-1/detail/certificate-course-digital-circuit-design-with-ihp-sg13g2-open-source-pdk

#BMBF

On November 18 took place the Workshop on Open-Source #EDA Technology (#WOSET).

Check out the program at:

https://woset-workshop.github.io/WOSET2024-schedule.html

Dr. Stefan Finkbeiner, CEO of #Bosch Sensortec GmbH, has been elected as the new Chair of the Chips Joint Undertaking Governing Board:

https://www.chips-ju.europa.eu/News-detail/?id=851790bf-7aa6-ef11-8a6a-7c1e52377187

We congratulate Dr. Finkbeiner and we hope that he will support the development of open-source #EDA tools and open-source silicon.

#ChipsJU