How much does it cost to design a new chip?

[john_c3]

Hi everyone, I work at a manufacturing company and we're looking into design a chip. For a generic chip, how much does it cost to design if you include in all the design, simulation, verification, etc.?

 

[ELECTRONICIENSENIOR]

How is the cost for a chirurgical operation ??? To cut a foot or change hearth ?????????

 

[john_c3]

How is the cost for a chirurgical operation ??? To cut a foot or change hearth ?????????

Haha know my question sounds vague but just looking for ballpark ranges

 

[crutschow]

For a generic chip, how much does it cost to design if you include in all the design, simulation, verification, etc.?

What is a "generic chip"?
Why do you need a custom chip?

The cost will vary significantly depending on the type and complexity of the chip and whether it is analog or digital.
But it any event it likely will be well upwards of a million US dollars.

If you have a specific IC requirement in mind, contact a semiconductor company that does custom IC's to get an idea of the cost.

Given the high cost you likely would have to buy thousands of them to amortize the individual chip cost to something reasonable.

 

[barry]

Haha know my question sounds vague but just looking for ballpark ranges

US$10 to US$10,000,000

Your question is so vague it’s meaningless.

 

[danadakk]

Why not use a SOC ? Whats on part (multiple copies in many cases) :

Dev tool, PSOC Creator and ARM compiler, free, dev board ~$15 or for more complete ~$150. Huge
API f() library for all resources.....

Low end PSOC 4 to high end families PSOC 6 dual core.

Its routable as well, you wire up internal and out to pins.


Regards, Dana.

 

[dick_freebird]

Design is one thing. Manufacturing another. Advanced
technology nodes have huge mask costs and you can't
access them without enslaving yourself to one of the
"big iron" CAD vendors who are de facto "gatekeepers"
to foundry tape-in.

Since it seems pretty unclear what is wanted I'd try to
find a foundry*technology which appears grossly suitable
and hosts "multiproject shuttles" which share mask cost
(like you might pay $20K for a ride ending in 50 dice to you,
when the mask set is $200K plus handholding charges).

I have been whored out at $300/hr for a couple of years,
solid, on an ASIC (turned out to be mostly full custom
hand layout of >10Kgates) when my company wanted
really badly not to take the business but the customer
(who went by the name of "Customer X") insisted by
agreeing to the pricing (those dirty bastages).

And that was 15 years ago, now... if the company
management was still around it'd probably be $500/.
Times 40/wk*52/yr*2-3yr. Not that more than a sliver of
it made it down to my paycheck.

You don't want to be that customer. So act right, or
hire a trail guide if you're a tenderfoot.