Public request to all custom ASIC manufacturers - chip photos

[BarsMonster]

Hello there ASIC manufacturers,

I am doing a blog with microscope photos of various microchips: http://zeptobars.ru/
I would be very interested to publish photo of you chip with active link to your website, and this might prove to someone that you actually have custom ASIC.
I can confirm whether it looks like actual bitcoin miner, and it's manufacturing technology.

All I need from you is send me 1x your custom chip (it might be preproduction/engineering batch). Please drop me a message to michail@zeptobars.ru

PS. Why writing here? Because I couldn't find Avalon email contacts, and I am pretty sure all custom ASIC manufacturers are watching this forum :-D

We'll get something like this:
http://s.zeptobars.ru/MSP430F122.jpg

[1713555390]

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[Nemesis]

hahahha, keep dreaming.

[JusticeForYou]

Looks like your MCU is rusting, that's dope.


Seriously, why would they do that?

[invader]

Saw them before, really like these pictures. I found them very interesting. Thanks for your great work.
But i also doubt if anyone would be ready to sacrifice the chip now to render a whole avalon hashmodule useless.
Maybe later, when better chips will appear in customer hands, or if it would be possible to run smaller modules of avalon hashmodule independently.

[BarsMonster]

But i also doubt if anyone would be ready to sacrifice the chip now to render a whole avalon hashmodule useless.

I don't expect end users to sacrifice chips, I expect manufacturers to do so. 
This is in their very interest - they'll get some 50-150k people to see an article about them with a link to their website.
Pretty good for a cost of spare chip :-)

[hardcore-fs]

Another 'tired' chips under microscope site, but it
Looks more like they are prepared to 'rip off' the ASIC designs.

"We are also building an in-house ASIC prototyping line based on maskless lithography and silicon-on-sapphire wafers. Our design goal here is quick turnaround time and reduced number of technological steps rather than top performance or high wafer throughput. "

[ChipGeek]

Another 'tired' chips under microscope site, but it
Looks more like they are prepared to 'rip off' the ASIC designs.

"We are also building an in-house ASIC prototyping line based on maskless lithography and silicon-on-sapphire wafers. Our design goal here is quick turnaround time and reduced number of technological steps rather than top performance or high wafer throughput. "

^^ This.  If I were a bitcoin ASIC designer, I'd send them a photo of my chip, but not a chip.

[Gomeler]

Another 'tired' chips under microscope site, but it
Looks more like they are prepared to 'rip off' the ASIC designs.

"We are also building an in-house ASIC prototyping line based on maskless lithography and silicon-on-sapphire wafers. Our design goal here is quick turnaround time and reduced number of technological steps rather than top performance or high wafer throughput. "

If that were the case then why not just purchase an Avalon/BFL SC Single, reverse engineer the chips and release your product without original designers knowing? I suppose there is something to be said about a brazen approach, if this is indeed what the OP is trying to do, but I'd be surprised.

[BarsMonster]

If that were the case then why not just purchase an Avalon/BFL SC Single, reverse engineer the chips and release your product without original designers knowing? I suppose there is something to be said about a brazen approach, if this is indeed what the OP is trying to do, but I'd be surprised.

"Ripping-off" modern microchips is not economically viable.
Bitcoin asic's are especially simple to design with automatic synthesis tools, could take just 1 week of work for skilled team (and then 1 year to manufacture) - so it's just cheaper to redesign.

On the other side, reverse engineering chip of such complexity could easily take several human-years. I guess, no one would buy ripped-off ASIC in 2016? :-D

[BarsMonster]

If I were a bitcoin ASIC designer, I'd send them a photo of my chip, but not a chip.

That will work too, if it's actual hi-res microscope photo, and not an EDA screenshot :-)

[BarsMonster]

FYI: I've got contacted from everyone except BFL
Can anyone drop them a message?

[itcamefrommars]

FYI: I've got contacted from everyone except BFL
Can anyone drop them a message?

Please tell me this whole thread was a build up to this punchline... that'd be pretty funny.
A for Affort   

[BarsMonster]

Please tell me this whole thread was a build up to this punchline... that'd be pretty funny.
A for Affort   

Nope, I just need the chips to show their photos to the public, that's it :-)

[r.willis]

And can we expect photos?

[BarsMonster]

And can we expect photos?

Yes, they will be published as soon as I receive the chips (which can take 1-2 months, Russian post is not in a hurry).