In 2025, students at Linköping University (LiU) got the chance to build a real chip. During the “Build a Chip” event, first- to third-year students designed digital circuits and sent their designs to fabrication — giving them hands-on experience of how theoretical logic becomes physical products.
Photo: Magnus Johansson, Linköping University
Hands-on chip design with Tiny Tapeout
The initiative took place in the Muxen labs at the Department of Electrical Engineering (ISY). Participation was open to engineering students in early years, and the event was made possible through funding by ELLIIT’s Gender & Diversity Group.
By using open-source tools and Tiny Tapeout, students could design, simulate, and test their circuits before submission for fabrication. Compared with traditional chip production — which often requires expensive licenses and industrial-scale resources — this combination of tools makes it practical and affordable to produce real chips as part of student projects.
Chips fabricated abroad — testing back on campus
The submitted designs are being manufactured by SkyWater Technology in the United States. Once the chips return to LiU (expected autumn 2026), students will have the opportunity to measure and test their chips in real hardware — bridging the gap between theory, simulation and real-world electronics.
Building future competence
The experience was a rare opportunity for the participants to see their own code turn into physical hardware — a process that is rarely available at the undergraduate level. The “Build a Chip” event illustrates LiU’s commitment to combining education and research with industrial collaborations. Organizers hope the initiative will continue and draw more students into the field, supporting the growing need for skilled chip-designers in Europe.
“Europe will need many chip builders in the future.” – Oscar Gustafsson, responsible organizer and Associate Professor at the Department of Electrical Engineering (ISY) at Linköping University.
Photo: Magnus Johansson, Linköping University