Recently, it was reported that SEALSQ announced that it has reached a cooperation with ColibriTD and Xdigit to jointly develop cutting-edge technologies for semiconductor manufacturing. This innovation is designed to address IR Drop, a major challenge in chip manufacturing for advanced processes (7nm and below), resulting in significantly higher wafer yields, lower production costs, and faster time-to-market.
Three Powers Join Forces: Injecting "Quantum Power" into Chip Manufacturing
SEALSQ focuses on semiconductors, secure microcontrollers, and post-quantum cryptography, while Colibri TD leads the way in Quantum-as-a-Service platforms, and Xdigit has deep chip modeling and IR Drop mathematical modeling technologies. Over the next six months, the three companies plan to jointly develop a revolutionary solution that combines quantum computing power with precise modeling to solve today's more advanced and challenging power distribution and voltage control problems based on the established roadmap.
Especially after the transistor size enters the field of 7nm or even smaller, the traditional voltage control method is no longer competent, and the chip yield may even be as low as 50%. This not only pushes up the cost of chip manufacturing, but also seriously affects the speed of technology deployment in emerging fields such as AI, automotive, and the Internet of Things.
Solving the IR Drop Puzzle with Quantum Computing
The core breakthrough of this collaboration is the ability of quantum computing to handle complex equations, such as partial differential equations, to model and optimize the power network inside the chip with unprecedented accuracy. Xdigit combines its expertise in IR Drop modeling with ColibriTD's quantum algorithm platform to help chip designers accurately predict and avoid potential voltage fluctuations early in the design process, resulting in higher yields, less wasted resources, and potentially yields of more than 80%.
Figure: Is it difficult to improve chip yield? These three companies are using quantum technology to find new solutions
Strategic significance: Clearing three major obstacles for advanced manufacturing processes
This innovation is not only a technological breakthrough, but also brings strategic value in many ways:
1. Improve yields and reduce costs: In advanced processes, every 10% increase in yield translates into millions of dollars in cost savings. The yield rate has been increased from 50% to 80%, and the cost per chip can be reduced by nearly half.
2. Faster time-to-market: Optimized power supply design dramatically reduces the number of trial and error, shortens the design cycle, and enables faster time-to-market for products such as AI chips and automotive control chips.
3. Addressing the challenge of smaller nodes: This quantum computing-centric modeling framework is highly scalable and can be applied to 3nm and even more advanced process nodes to meet future technology trends.
Improve chip security and create a "physical protection" line of defense
There is another hidden advantage of more precise power control – enhancing the chip's ability to resist attacks. In applications such as the Intelligent Internet of Things, automotive electronics, and defense systems, attackers often steal encryption keys by analyzing "side-channel" information such as current fluctuations. SEALSQ's experience with post-quantum cryptography technologies such as its QS7001 platform, coupled with this improvement in voltage management, will greatly enhance the physical security of microcontrollers against side-channel attacks.
Enter a new era of "quantum-driven" chips
Carlos Moreira, CEO of SEALSQ, said: "This partnership with ColibriTD and Xdigit is a key turning point in the semiconductor space. By combining quantum computing capabilities with Xdigit's IR Drop modeling technology, we are breaking through key blockages in the advanced chip manufacturing process to create safer, more efficient, and low-cost chip solutions for core scenarios such as AI, automotive, and IoT."
Fabrice Siracusa, CEO of Xdigit, added: "Quantum computing opens a new door for us to precision modeling and design optimization. Combined with our accumulation of ASIC design and security IP, this technology will bring a qualitative leap forward in the sub-7nm process node, leading the next generation of semiconductor innovation.”
Summary: This cross-border cooperation not only indicates that the 7nm and more advanced processes will usher in a critical turning point with a significant increase in yield, but also marks the transformation of quantum computing from theory to application, injecting new momentum into the semiconductor industry. For consumers, this means that AI devices, smart cars, and IoT terminals will be stronger, more stable, and cheaper in the future.
