Fall 2026
Hello, world.
Microchips are the substrate of modern civilization, but making them is out of reach for most.
Decades of chasing Moore's Law have produced an object that is incredibly powerful, yet expensive, complex, and secretive.
Designing and fabricating a new mid-range chip can cost tens of millions of dollars and involve dozens of proprietary inputs and intermediaries.
As a result, only the most profitable designs get made. World-changing ideas never see the light of day.
And that's not to count the geopolitical and cybersecurity vulnerabilities that lie downstream of silicon's inaccessibility.
Something this important shouldn't be this hard to make.
The Open Silicon movement holds the most promise for democratizing chip design and improving the safety and sovereignty of computers.
Open Silicon is to chips what open-source software is to code: free tools, IP, and manufacturing knowledge that anyone can use, inspect, and improve.
But Open Silicon is not yet performant enough to compete with closed alternatives. We believe that this can change.
Starting in 2026, Vensa is setting out on a long-term philanthropic project to grow Open Silicon into a thriving, parallel ecosystem for making chips.
We will focus on three strategies:
- Free and open IP, PDKs, and design tooling
- Affordable tape-outs
- Growing the Open Silicon movement
We're looking for the best ideas and talent to carry out this work.
Reach out to us at hi@vensa.si
Onwards,
Vensa
Hello, world.
Microchips are the substrate of modern civilization, but making them is out of reach for most: expensive, complex, and secretive.
Open Silicon (free tools, IP, and manufacturing knowledge anyone can use, inspect, and improve) holds the most promise for changing that.
Starting in 2026, Vensa is setting out to grow it into a thriving, parallel ecosystem for making chips, focused on:
- Open IP, PDKs, and design tooling
- Affordable tape-outs
- Growing the movement
Reach out to us at hi@vensa.si
Onwards,
Vensa