phc-discussions - Re: [PHC] ASICs (Re: [PHC] What's your favorite entry so far, and why?)

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Message-ID: <CAOLP8p5BAH5KBf-eKatOiHbO+pxbmqqz1t3mzzyphWfpjWeG+A@mail.gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 11 Jan 2014 17:21:42 -0500
From: Bill Cox <waywardgeek@...il.com>
To: discussions@...sword-hashing.net
Subject: Re: [PHC] ASICs (Re: [PHC] What's your favorite entry so far, and why?)

On Fri, Jan 10, 2014 at 10:59 PM, Solar Designer <solar@...nwall.com> wrote:
> I wasn't aware of ViASIC:
>
> http://www.triadsemi.com
>
> What's the pricing of these companies like?

I assume you mean ASIC pricing.  Triad specializes in analog
mixed-signal, and they pretty much wont be beat, but there are other
choices for mixed-signal ASICs out there.  Our secret sauce is the
ability to reconfigure a whole mixed-signal array changing just 1 VIA
layer.  That's how we expect to lower mixed-signal semi-custom costs
10X, but at the same time, Triad offers full custom mixed signal
ASICs, so the path from high-cost/low-volume to low-cost/high-volume
is smooth and low-risk.  However, in the analog processes we work in
(.35u to .18u), the digital is not competitive with FPGAs, so our
chips are useless for password cracking.  However, I can build you a
very competitive true random number generator :-)

ViASIC is the company I founded with my wife in 2000 to promote
via-configured structured ASICs.  We were successful for a small team,
while the giants such as LSI Logic crashed and burned in their
structured ASIC efforts.  However, we were no Google.  Our largest
client, Triad Semiconductor, bought us out in 2010, where I continue
to work today.

Bill