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Re:GlobalFoundries Details 7 nm Plans: Three Generations, 70... by frozenport on Friday June 23, 2017 @04:20PM (#14622426)
Or you can make it in HDL and pay somebody to fab it
Re:GlobalFoundries Details 7 nm Plans: Three Generations, 70... by chocolatebunny on Friday June 23, 2017 @05:55PM (#14623079)
So what's the cheapest fab in the world?

Maybe I should just stick with FPGAs.

Re:GlobalFoundries Details 7 nm Plans: Three Generations, 70... by mavendependency on Friday June 23, 2017 @08:52PM (#14623812)
https://youtu.be/Pt9i2ABe_mE

http://ifdl.jp/make_lsi/

http://hackaday.com/2016/10/13/blinking-an-led-extreme-editi...

http://www.slideshare.net/junichiakita9/intorudction-to-make...

There some projects to realize low-cost, short turn-around-time LSI fabrication at slightly old process, such as 1um, in Japan, whose name is Minimal Fab. This will enable the (commercial) LSI fabrication service at a few hundred USD cost and 1-week TAT. I believe this a revolution similar to that happened in PCB world in ten years ago.

Re:GlobalFoundries Details 7 nm Plans: Three Generations, 70... by sbierwagen on Friday June 23, 2017 @07:33PM (#14623538)
Wikipedia says prototype runs are done MPW or MLM, with many different chips printed on a single wafer. Nobody quotes actual prices, of course, so guess "a lot"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-project_wafer_service

Re:GlobalFoundries Details 7 nm Plans: Three Generations, 70... by nickpsecurity on Saturday June 24, 2017 @01:05AM (#14624441)
These do multi-project wafers (aka shuttle runs):

https://www.mosis.com/

http://www.europractice-ic.com/

Re:GlobalFoundries Details 7 nm Plans: Three Generations, 70... by frozenport on Friday June 23, 2017 @09:24PM (#14623913)
FPGA conversion has a 50k nre. Anything else and you need a team of people on your end to do things like verify quality.

The fun part is that you can sometimes sneak an trial design into a shuttle service. ( but good luck making that initial design!)