iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Matt Venn @mattvenn.net · 05/08/2026

Dive into #ASIC design this summer with the Zero to ASIC course! The Zero to ASIC courses are the best known, highest rated and still the only ones to include a guaranteed tapeout. Use code summer26 to get $100 off the course until the 10th August. zerotoasiccourse.com

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Matt Venn @mattvenn.net · 17/07/2026

The green traces show a chip designer’s worst nightmare! If they take too long to settle, it causes a serious problem that can’t be fixed after a chip is manufactured. Try out my updated metastability explorer tool here: zerotoasiccourse.com/metastability/

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Matt Venn @mattvenn.net · 08/05/2026

We cut a microscopic wire inside a chip with an ion beam, then brought it back to life with platinum gas! My latest video is a collaboration with Mikhail from Zeptobars, and I’m releasing it as a Youtube premiere at 18:00 CEST on Tuesday 12th May. www.youtube.com/watch?v=plcg... #ASIC

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Matt Venn @mattvenn.net · 07/03/2026

Happy to announce I won the European Open Source Academy Special Recognition for Skills and Education! @eosa.bsky.social www.zerotoasiccourse.com/post/eosa_aw...

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Matt Venn @mattvenn.net · 29/01/2026

Greg Kroah Hartman won this years prize for excellence in open source! #eosawards26

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Matt Venn @mattvenn.net · 29/01/2026

Jenny Molloy received special recognition for advocacy and awareness

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Matt Venn @mattvenn.net · 29/01/2026

Daniel Stenburg at the EU open source awards #eosawards26

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Matt Venn @mattvenn.net · 05/01/2026

Then somehow we recovered, sent 12 chips to be manufactured, sent 1 chip into space and gained access to another fab! Read my review of 2025 and goals for 2026 here: zerotoasiccourse.com/post/year_up...

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Matt Venn @mattvenn.net · 05/01/2026

For the first time, open silicon wasn’t just a niche experiment in 2025 - it was a real ecosystem spanning three fabs and thousands of designs. And then one company collapsed and hundreds of chips effectively disappeared overnight.

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Matt Venn @mattvenn.net · 30/11/2025

Ready to dive into open source ASICs? This weekend, you can save $150 with code Z2ABLACK25. Just a heads-up: only 6 coupons left! www.zerotoasiccourse.com

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Matt Venn @mattvenn.net · 30/11/2025

I've recently posted about open source silicon IP and tools. Important, but neither exists without the community. Read about the people, events, competitions, and recent satellite launches in this article: www.zerotoasiccourse.com/post/excited...

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Matt Venn @mattvenn.net · 28/11/2025

My Zero to ASIC courses are the most recognized, highest-rated programs, and still the only ones that guarantee a tapeout! Start your journey toward holding a custom ASIC in the palm of your hand and save $150 with code Z2ABLACK25. ZeroToASICcourse.com

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Matt Venn @mattvenn.net · 24/11/2025

What open source ASIC tools am I excited by in 2025? OpenEMS, 3D viewers, Surfer, OpenROAD, and lots more! Check this article for all the links: zerotoasiccourse.com/post/excited... #opensource #ASIC #tools

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Matt Venn @mattvenn.net · 16/09/2025

I'll send an ASIC hat to the first person who guesses what this is! #ASIC #opensource #silicon

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Matt Venn @mattvenn.net · 24/07/2025

Had fun recording some footage for my Transistor raps today in an anechoic chamber! I already got some at IHP's cleanroom, so just need a little more and to finalise the audio, then the editor can start!

matt smiling next to the cut off foam pyramids that line the walls of the chamber

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Matt Venn @mattvenn.net · 15/07/2025

Ebay was my route for the one I used in this necklace. More deets here: www.zerotoasiccourse.com/post/asic-ne...

high tech necklace with a DIY ASIC and a 4 inch silicon wafer pendant

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Matt Venn @mattvenn.net · 01/07/2025

Loved to see this on my bluesky feed! bsky.app/profile/antr... bsky.app/profile/ruen...

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Matt Venn @mattvenn.net · 13/06/2025

60,000:1 CMOS inverter scale model - now with magnets! Get his little brother at the @tinytapeout.com store: store.tinytapeout.com/products/Sky... #ASIC #CMOS

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Matt Venn @mattvenn.net · 12/06/2025

60,000:1 CMOS inverter scale model - now with magnets! Get his little brother at the @tinytapeout.com store: store.tinytapeout.com/products/Sky... #ASIC #CMOS

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Matt Venn @mattvenn.net · 07/06/2025

Dipping works well, I just tried refilling the cartridge and it definitely doesn't flow as smooth, needs a squeeze every few letters

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Matt Venn @mattvenn.net · 11/05/2025

Parametric thingy cad.onshape.com/documents/16...

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Matt Venn @mattvenn.net · 10/05/2025

One of the things I love about #calligraphy is my pencil case 🤓

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Matt Venn @mattvenn.net · 08/05/2025

Ooh ooo,I'm an Englishman in España 🎶

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Matt Venn @mattvenn.net · 04/05/2025

I have to go to my office for printing so it's been longer to iterate for me on the weekend. I've printed some different versions, trying to get a good fit of the parts together.

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Matt Venn @mattvenn.net · 02/05/2025

We recently sat down with Tibor Herman to talk about HUNITY, the satellite that’s taking our chips to space. We dug into past missions, how it maneuvers in orbit and the test framework that’ll run your code. Catch the full interview here: youtu.be/SRuBDMZZiI0

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Matt Venn @mattvenn.net · 22/03/2025

I will attempt to enjoy the ultimate episode equally

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Matt Venn @mattvenn.net · 12/03/2025

Had some fun testing Ricardo Nunes's 12bit SAR ADC on #TinyTapeout 7 this afternoon. A SAR ADC is a nice mixed signal example, with the digital section coordinating the binary search of an internal DAC, homing in on the input signal. Glad I could test it myself and see it working!

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Matt Venn @mattvenn.net · 06/02/2025

Got a brother ql800 to replace it. It works well in Linux, and can print red and black on endless tape, nice!

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Matt Venn @mattvenn.net · 03/02/2025

Retiring my venerable label printer! Good collection of stickers from @oshpark.bsky.social @oflynn.com @eff.org @1bitsquared.com @diodes-delight.com Arduino

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Matt Venn @mattvenn.net · 24/01/2025

I really enjoyed writing up the assembly instructions for this Sky130 30000:1 scale inverter. Fun to link to all resources that relate to each part of the model, then after you're done, simulate it with SiliWiz! www.zerotoasiccourse.com/post/3d_sky_...

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Matt Venn @mattvenn.net · 21/01/2025

Got the @tinytapeout.com 555 timer working up to 11 MHz! tinytapeout.com/runs/tt06/tt...

scope screenshot showing the square and triangle waves of the 555 timer

closeup of some surface mount components

tiny tapeout devkit is a pair of pink circuit boards

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Matt Venn @mattvenn.net · 20/01/2025

The open source die looks like this: tinytapeout.com/runs/tt06/tt...

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Matt Venn @mattvenn.net · 18/01/2025

I taped out a variety of adders on open source silicon and Kogge-Stone adders were the fastest for all widths above 8 bits. Yosys now has plugins to choose which topology you want! Read more here: www.zerotoasiccourse.com/post/instrum...

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Matt Venn @mattvenn.net · 07/01/2025

I'm going to start a regular stream about #opensource silicon. Topics will include design, verification, #fpga, openlane, formal, #tinytapeout, #ASIC bringup, chip validation. If you're interested, please let me know what days / times work for you: doodle.com/meeting/orga...

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Matt Venn @mattvenn.net · 06/01/2025

This was one of the first

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