Jane Street protocol emulator ASIC competition
Jane Street will fabricate the most novel open source protocol emulator chips. Designs are due on 18 January 2027. The submission form is not open yet.
The Jane Street protocol emulator ASIC competition asks people to design an open source chip that can speak hardware protocols from firmware, then change to a new protocol after it is made. Jane Street will pay to fabricate the most novel designs on a Tiny Tapeout shuttle and send the winners a chip on a development board. The target shuttle is March 2027, subject to the foundry schedule. The page does not state a cash prize.
The process is IHP 130nm CMOS5L through Tiny Tapeout. The maximum area is 6 by 4 tiles, about 0.7 mm², with a note that Jane Street is checking whether 8 by 4 tiles can be allowed. The design should start with UART, SPI, and I2C, and stay reprogrammable enough for new protocols later. Stretch goals include low speed USB and 10 Mbit Ethernet. The submission must be open source. Teams are recommended.
Designs are due on 18 January 2027. The submission form is not on the page yet. Jane Street says it will add that form closer to the deadline. A sign up form collects an email so they can send the template, deadline changes, and the submission link. The form says that signing up does not enter you in the competition.
Questions go to asic-competition@janestreet.com. The announcement is dated 10 September 2026.