IC-Link Joins TSMC Cloud Alliance to Simplify Advanced Chip Design Access
IC-Link by imec has expanded its partnership with TSMC by becoming the first managed-cloud service to support mixed-partner EDA flows for silicon design as part of the TSMC Open Innovation Platform Cloud Alliance. The service provides secure cloud-based access to advanced TSMC process design kits and scalable compute resources, allowing design teams to use their preferred EDA tools. This aims to ease the complexity of developing advanced chips for AI, communications, automotive, and other applications.
IC-Link's membership in the TSMC OIP Cloud Alliance extends a partnership that has included participation in TSMC's Value Chain Alliance since 2009 and Design Center Alliance since 2007. The company also recently joined the OIP 3DFabric Alliance, which centers on advanced packaging technologies.
The cloud offering targets design teams working on AI, communications, automotive, and industrial chips. By hosting TSMC process design kits securely while allowing customers to keep their preferred EDA tools and licenses, IC-Link manages the underlying infrastructure so teams can concentrate on product development rather than maintaining complex design environments.
This collaboration could lower entry barriers for smaller semiconductor firms and research groups that lack resources to build advanced design infrastructure. By making TSMC's advanced process design kits accessible through a managed cloud service, it may accelerate development cycles for AI, automotive, and communications chips. This could shorten time-to-market for innovative products, potentially benefiting consumers through faster adoption of new technologies, while also strengthening Europe's semiconductor innovation capacity in a competitive global industry.