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by KirillPanov 1813 days ago
> Symbolic (ghost) versions of FlexLib allowed Libre-SOC developers to not have to sign a Foundry NDA during the development of the ASIC Layout

In other words, this chip isn't even remotely open-source.

What they sent to the foundry isn't the "ghost cells" (which don't have transistors in them and therefore don't work).

This fails the most basic requirements of being open source.
2 comments
lkcl 1813 days ago
HDL source code: https://git.libre-soc.org/?p=soc.git;a=summary

Coriolis2 source code: http://coriolis.lip6.fr/

Chips4Makers FlexLib Cell Library based on FreePDK45: https://gitlab.com/Chips4Makers/c4m-pdk-freepdk45/-/releases

Automated Layout scripts for generation of GDS-II Files: https://git.libre-soc.org/?p=soclayout.git;a=summary

please do try to get your facts right and not mislead people by making false claims, eh?

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test_epsilon 1813 days ago
What is the problem if they could be translated to a working chip? A C program contains no instructions the machine can use and yet you can compile an open source program with a closed source compiler.
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lkcl 1813 days ago
we used an entirely Libre-licensed VLSI "compiler", which takes HDL as input and spits out fully-completed GDS-II Files.

the problem with this particular irate individual is that he's assumed that because TSMC's DRC rules are only accessible under NDA that automatically absof*** everything was also "fake open source".

idiot.

sigh.

clearly didn't read the article.

whilst both Staf Verhaegen and LIP6.fr signed the TSMC Foundry NDA, we in the Libre-SOC team did not. we therefore worked entirely in the Libre world, honoured our committment to full transparency, whilst Staf and Jean-Paul and the rest of the team from LIP6 worked extremely hard "in parallel".

the ASIC can therefore be compiled with three different Cell Libraries:

* LIP6.fr's 180nm "nsxlib" - this is a silicon-proven 180nm Cell Library * Staf's FreePDK45 "symbolic" cell library using FlexLib (as the name says, it uses the Academic FreePDK45 DRC) * the NDA'd TSMC 180nm "real" variant of Staf's FlexLib

i was therefore able to "prepare" work for Jean-Paul, via the parallel track, commit it to the PUBLIC REPOSITORY (the one that's open, that our resident idiot didn't bother to check existed or even ask where it is), which saved Jean-Paul time whilst he focussed on fixing issues in coriolis2.

it was a LOT of work.

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