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Choose a foundry by verifying that it can support your existing design’s exact process, PDK, devices, IP, qualification needs, and production lifetime—not by matching a node label or comparing wafer prices first. Ask each candidate to review the actual design package and put in writing what can be manufactured unchanged, what would need porting or requalification, and what supply terms apply to that specific process and product.
Start with the design’s non-negotiable requirements
Before contacting foundries, assemble a controlled package that describes both the chip and the product it serves. A nominal node size or process name is not enough to establish that a candidate can make the design as-is: process revisions, device options, design rules, libraries, and IP can differ.
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- Design data: Identify the database and formats available, the design-rule set and revision used, and the mask or tape-out data. State whether the foundry must accept the design unchanged.
- Process dependencies: List the exact process, PDK revision, devices, voltage options, libraries, memory compilers or macros, and third-party or proprietary IP on which the design depends.
- Product functions: Call out analog, RF, high-voltage, power, embedded nonvolatile memory, image-sensing, MEMS, or other specialty requirements rather than assuming they follow from the node name.
- Production requirements: Specify wafer size if constrained, package and test flow, expected volumes and ramp, target production lifetime, reliability target, required qualifications, and the locations or supply-chain conditions the product must meet.
Have the candidate confirm support for each item against the proposed process revision and manufacturing site. A broad technology portfolio is a reason to ask for a fit review, not proof that the exact process or IP is available to your project.
Find out whether the design transfers unchanged or needs a port
There are two different sourcing problems: continuing manufacture on a compatible process, and transferring a process or design to a different manufacturing environment. A foundry that offers process-transfer services is not thereby confirming that your chip can move without changes.
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Ask the engineering team to classify the proposal explicitly:
- Manufacture unchanged: The design database, PDK, rules, devices, libraries, and IP are accepted for the named process and revision, with no redesign beyond the foundry’s stated handoff requirements.
- Design port: Some combination of library or IP replacement, physical redesign, device or process changes, verification, or reliability work is required.
- Process transfer: The existing process itself must be transferred, developed, or optimized at the receiving facility. This is distinct from simply accepting a finished chip design.
For any port or transfer, request an engineering scope, responsible owners, validation plan, schedule, cost, and sign-off criteria. Include the needed design re-verification and product requalification in the plan; do not treat a successful prototype as equivalent to production approval.
Microchip says it can transfer an existing process from another fab or university and lists capabilities including CMOS, BCD, embedded NVM, interposer, SOI high-voltage, CCD, and MEMS. Tower describes process transfer, development, and optimization for IDMs and fabless companies. Those service descriptions identify possible routes to investigate, but do not establish feasibility for a particular design. See Microchip foundry services and Tower Semiconductor’s corporate overview.
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Use candidate capability pages to build a shortlist, not to declare a match
The following examples show different starting points. Confirm the exact process family, revision, customer eligibility, and site directly with each supplier; public portfolio pages do not establish project-specific access, capacity, price, or lead time.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware match| Candidate type | What its public information identifies | What still needs confirmation |
|---|---|---|
| Broad logic and specialty portfolio | TSMC describes logic technology through 0.18-micron and specialty technologies including MEMS, CMOS image sensors, embedded NVM, RF, analog, high voltage, and BCD power. TSMC technology | Whether the exact process, PDK revision, devices, IP, and customer access needed for your design are available. |
| Custom or transfer-capable provider | Microchip says its foundry team supports custom projects on 150 mm and 200 mm wafers, lists specialty capabilities, and offers transfer of an existing process from another fab or university. Microchip foundry services | Whether the proposed site and process can accept your package or process, and the transfer scope, schedule, and terms. |
| Analog or mixed-signal specialty foundry | Tower advertises analog process platforms, design enablement, and process transfer, development, and optimization. X-FAB describes analog/mixed-signal, MEMS, SiC, and design support. Tower Semiconductor; X-FAB manufacturing | Whether the specific analog, mixed-signal, or other process modules and devices match the design and its reliability requirements. |
| Prototype-access route | Samsung and GlobalFoundries describe multi-project wafer (MPW) programs. Samsung MPW service; GlobalFoundries manufacturing | Whether the needed legacy process is in the relevant shuttle and whether prototype access leads to an acceptable production path. |
These are examples to investigate, not a ranked shortlist or endorsements. A supplier’s published capability may cover technologies or services broader than those open to a particular customer or project.
Put lifetime, continuity, and site commitments in writing
Ask for terms tied to the specific process, site, and product—not a general statement about the supplier’s longevity or its portfolio. Resolve these points in a proposal and, where they matter, in the contract:
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- Product and process lifetime, including how the commitment is defined and when it begins.
- Process roadmap, change-control procedure, and advance notice for process, material, equipment, site, or subcontractor changes.
- Last-time-buy and discontinuance notice periods, and what happens if demand changes during a final-buy window.
- Capacity reservation, allocation rules during shortages, quoted cycle times, ramp assumptions, and remedies for missed commitments.
- Which fab will run the product, whether an alternate site exists, and the conditions and requalification work required to use it.
- Migration assistance if the process is discontinued or a site becomes unavailable.
Keep the scope of public longevity statements precise. X-FAB’s manufacturing page carries an undated statement from CEO Damien Macq: “We ensure a long-term supply of more than 15 years and dual sourcing for our 350 nm technologies to provide our customers with long-term reliability and stability.” The stated duration and dual sourcing apply to X-FAB’s 350 nm technologies; they do not establish terms for another process or your product. X-FAB manufacturing.
Check qualification, quality evidence, and supply-chain visibility
Request evidence that applies to the actual process and production site in the proposal. Useful material includes process-specific qualification data for the application, the scope and validity of facility certificates, change-control records, traceability practices, failure-analysis support, and the plan for disruptions. A certificate or qualification at one site does not automatically establish the same status for a different site or process.
TSMC describes qualification procedures spanning technology development and mass production. Intel says its mature manufacturing wafer-fabrication, assembly/test, and logistics sites are registered to ISO 9001:2015 by a third-party registrar. Ask suppliers to identify which sites and operations those statements cover and provide the applicable documentation for your proposed flow. TSMC quality policy; Intel quality and reliability.
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Include origin and traceability in the risk review if they matter to your customers or compliance obligations. In its December 6, 2024 assessment of mature-node chips in supply chains supporting U.S. critical infrastructure, the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security reported that about half of surveyed companies could not determine whether their products contained chips manufactured by PRC-based foundries. That is a finding about the surveyed companies and assessment scope, not a measure of all companies or all chip supply chains. Ask how the proposed flow identifies the fab and tracks wafers, assembly, and test. BIS assessment announcement.
Use MPW for evaluation, not as proof of production readiness
An MPW run can let multiple designs share mask costs and may help assess a design before committing to a dedicated production run. Samsung describes MPW as a prototype-testing service and its application asks for technical project details. Confirm that the precise legacy process is offered in the relevant shuttle, what design support and deliverables are included, and whether the shuttle’s devices and rules match the intended production flow. Samsung MPW service.
Do not infer production yield, qualification, reserved capacity, or long-term supply from a successful MPW prototype. Ask the supplier what additional validation, production qualification, and capacity agreement would be required to move from the shuttle to volume manufacturing.
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Compare total cost and delivery, not just the wafer quote
Request a costed scenario for the same forecast, ramp, process, site, package, test flow, and production lifetime from each candidate. A wafer price alone can obscure substantial engineering, qualification, or downstream costs.
- Mask set, engineering, design enablement, process transfer, and porting fees.
- Prototype lots and any MPW participation costs.
- Wafer price, expected utilization, and yield-ramp assumptions; ask what assumptions are estimates rather than commitments.
- Assembly, packaging, test, logistics, and any required subcontractor charges.
- Qualification and requalification work, including costs for process or site changes.
- Capacity reservation, inventory or buffer arrangements, and any charges linked to schedule commitments.
Compare quoted delivery terms alongside economics: cycle time, ramp volume, reservation window, delivery location, and what the supplier commits to if the schedule or allocation changes. Treat estimates, targets, and contractual remedies as different kinds of answers.
Score written proposals against the same questions
Send each candidate one common questionnaire and ask it to identify the process and site to which every answer applies. The table is a comparison framework, not a claim that every foundry offers identical terms.
| Decision area | Questions to ask |
|---|---|
| Process and design fit | Does the exact process, PDK revision, device set, IP, design rules, and library support this database? What must change? |
| Engineering and transition | Who owns any port or transfer? What validation, schedule, cost, and requalification steps are included? |
| Reliability and qualification | What process- and site-specific evidence supports the application and target lifetime? |
| Lifecycle and continuity | What product-specific supply term, change notification, last-time-buy, allocation, and backup-site commitments apply? |
| Geography and risk | Which fab will run the product? What location, traceability, and disruption dependencies apply? |
| Capacity and delivery | Is capacity reserved? What are the quoted cycle times, ramp assumptions, and delivery remedies? |
| Total economics | What are the costs for masks, engineering, prototypes, wafers, yield, packaging, test, logistics, and qualification? |
| Commercial and IP terms | What confidentiality, design security, ownership, audit, and liability terms apply? |
Run the sourcing decision in a controlled sequence
- Freeze the requirements package. Document the design revision, PDK and IP dependencies, process/device needs, quality targets, volume forecast, production-life requirement, package/test flow, and acceptable manufacturing locations.
- Screen for technical fit. Ask candidates to respond against every dependency and identify the exact process revision and site. Remove candidates that cannot support a critical requirement or cannot explain a credible transfer path.
- Get a design-specific engineering review. Obtain a written unchanged-versus-port determination. For work required, get scope, owners, cost, schedule, validation, and requalification criteria.
- Request comparable commercial and continuity proposals. Use one forecast and one set of assumptions; separate estimates from reserved capacity and contractual commitments.
- Review evidence and contract terms. Confirm facility and process scope for qualifications and certificates, traceability, change control, IP protection, supply commitments, and remedies.
- Use prototypes only against defined exit criteria. Agree what the prototype is meant to validate and what further production qualification and supply commitments remain after it succeeds.
A candidate is ready for selection only when its written response establishes a feasible path for the actual design and product: technical compatibility or a funded, scheduled port; acceptable process- and site-specific quality evidence; workable lifecycle and capacity terms; and a total cost and delivery proposal you can compare on the same basis as alternatives.
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