🚀 Bringing My Own Silicon to Life For many years, hardware has been a hobby I've been passionate about. Over that time, I've brought several kewl projects to life- but this one is different. Over the past few months, I've been slowly learning and working on something that still feels surreal: designing and taping out my own silicon chip through the @tinytapeout program. My project: a SHA-256 processor- is part of the TTSKY25A Multi-Project Wafer shuttle (launching in 3 days!), built on the Sky130 PDK (SkyWater 130nm technology) and based on the open-source Caravel framework. I designed it from scratch in Verilog, iterated across multiple versions, and optimized it to fit within the ultra-tiny 4×2 tile footprint. What started as curiosity about how cryptographic cores could be implemented at the transistor level turned into hours of: 🔹 Debugging synthesis and placement with OpenLane 🔹 Experimenting with ROM macros vs. algorithmic constant generation 🔹 Shrinking designs to squeeze performance into just a few thousand gates 🔹 Learning how PDN pitch, macro placement, and even tap cells can make or break a layout Another kewl part? Early next year, I'll be holding an actual silicon die in my hands that runs code I wrote and logic I designed. We often take for granted the chips powering our world- phones, servers, AI accelerators... Going through this process firsthand gave me a deeper appreciation for just how much ingenuity and effort goes into every square millimeter of silicon. I like what Alan Kay once said: "People who are really serious about software should make their own hardware." Well, I think I'm starting to consider myself serious about software 😉 Excited to keep pushing forward with open-source tooling, community knowledge, and the chance to explore hardware design in such a hands-on way. Huge thanks to @UriShaked , Matt Venn, Pat Deegan, and the @tinytapeout community for helping me out through this process! 💡 If you’re curious about Tiny Tapeout or ASIC design, I'd be happy to share more on my experience - this has been one of the most rewarding learning journeys I've taken. Feel free to check out my project here: github.com/dvirdc/ttsky-veri… #tinytapeout #sky130 #chipdesign #opensourcesilicon #tapeout