IC-Link joins TSMC OIP Cloud Alliance for advanced-node access
Image: imec
IC-Link by imec, imec's design and manufacturing service provider for ASICs and silicon photonics, has joined TSMC's Open Innovation Platform (OIP) Cloud Alliance. The companies describe IC-Link as the first managed-cloud service in the alliance to support mixed-partner EDA flow for silicon design, combining cloud-based design infrastructure with access to TSMC process technology.
What the cloud offering provides
Through IC-Link's cloud environment, customers get controlled access to advanced TSMC process design kits (PDKs) alongside scalable compute resources aimed at chip development workloads, according to imec. The platform is said to support flexible EDA design flows, letting customers use their own preferred tool chains and licenses while IC-Link handles secure hosting and infrastructure management.
Imec states this removes the need for design teams to build and maintain their own complex design environments, a task it says is becoming more burdensome as computing, tooling and secure technology access requirements grow alongside chip design complexity.
Existing TSMC relationship
The expansion builds on IC-Link's existing ties to TSMC's ecosystem, including recent participation in the OIP 3DFabric Alliance, membership of the TSMC Value Chain Alliance since 2009, and membership of the Design Center Alliance since 2007. Imec frames the move as part of broader efforts to strengthen semiconductor design capacity in Europe and beyond.
Pierre Blondeau, vice president ASIC Services at IC-Link by imec, said the combination of advanced-node technology access, secure mixed-partner EDA flow and cloud-based design capabilities is intended to make advanced semiconductor innovation more accessible and help customers move from design concept to end-product. Aveek Sarkar, TSMC's Director of the Ecosystem and Alliance Management Division, said the OIP ecosystem aims to help customers bring silicon to market faster while using the flexibility, scalability and security of modern design environments. These are vendor characterisations of the collaboration's intended benefits rather than independently verified performance claims.
