Yeah the main hurdle to getting an ASIC taped out these days is actually that most production lines are backed up. I think the sample route might be a good idea for what will hopefully be a small run.
They sell surplus area on their wafers to those making small runs, and the yields are not that great as these are the less desirable parts of the wafer. Still, it's actually quite cheap all things considered, especially if you only want a few hundred units.
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Yeah the main hurdle to getting an ASIC taped out these days is actually that most production lines are backed up. I think the sample route might be a good idea for what will hopefully be a small run.
They sell surplus area on their wafers to those making small runs, and the yields are not that great as these are the less desirable parts of the wafer. Still, it's actually quite cheap all things considered, especially if you only want a few hundred units.