eASIC Corp

eASIC Corporation, a fabless semiconductor company, operates as a subsidiary of Intel following its acquisition in 2018. Founded in 1999 by Zvi Or-Bach, an experienced entrepreneur in the ASIC field, the company established itself as a key player in the structured ASIC market. Or-Bach, who previously founded Chip Express, brought extensive experience in fast-turn ASICs to eASIC, leading the development of its core technology.

The company's business is centered around its proprietary eASIC Platform, which provides a middle ground between Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) and Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs). This technology, known as structured ASIC, addresses the market need for a solution that combines the lower non-recurring engineering (NRE) costs and faster time-to-market of FPGAs with the power efficiency and performance benefits of ASICs. The primary clients for these solutions are in high-volume sectors such as communications infrastructure, networking, 4G/5G wireless, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

eASIC's core product is a customizable silicon device that utilizes a unique single-via-layer customization technique. This allows for the rapid development of custom chips, with prototypes deliverable in a significantly shorter timeframe compared to traditional ASICs. The process involves using a pre-fabricated base wafer with logic and memory blocks, where customization is achieved by modifying only a single via layer, drastically reducing the complex and costly mask sets required for standard ASICs. This approach not only lowers upfront costs but also enables the use of direct-write e-beam technology for maskless customization, further accelerating the production cycle. Before its acquisition, Intel was already a partner, utilizing eASIC's technology for custom Xeon processors since at least 2015. The acquisition has allowed for deeper integration of eASIC's technology into Intel's Programmable Solutions Group, aiming to offer a more comprehensive portfolio of custom logic solutions.

Keywords: structured ASIC, semiconductor, fabless, custom silicon, single-via customization, FPGA to ASIC conversion, programmable logic, silicon platform, custom chips, integrated circuits