Silicon Catalyst partners with Arm to launch the Arm Flexible...

Winner and Runner-up to receive the contest’s largest ever technology credit for production tape-outs.

This is an example of why I enjoy working with Silicon Catalyst. They collaborate with our partners and do some really impressive things, all for the greater good of the semiconductor industry, absolutely. If you are not currently engaged with the Silicon Catalyst ecosystem you need to be.

With the overwhelming success of last year’s contest which resulted in $150,000 in Arm technology credit awarded to the winner, this year the bounty has been increased to $250,000 to the top startup.

The 2024 Arm Flexible Access for Startups Contest is open to privately owned startup companies in pre-seed, seed and Series A funding that have raised a maximum of $20 million in funding. The applicant companies need to either be using Arm or considering using Arm in their products. An Arm technology credit of $250,000 and $150,000, will be awarded to the winner and runner-up, respectively, and can be used towards a commercial tape-out and could cover IP fees for a complete embedded system or contribute to the cost of a higher performance system. Both the winner and runner-up will also receive additional benefits, including a pitch review session hosted by the Silicon Catalyst Angels investment group. All contest applicant organizations will also be considered for acceptance to the Silicon Catalyst Incubator/Accelerator.

Last year’s winner Equal1 is a pioneering silicon quantum computing company dedicated to making quantum computing affordable and accessible:

“We are thrilled to be announced as the winner of the 2023 ‘Silicon Startups Contest’. Arm’s support, partnership, and technology credit are invaluable to the development of our QSoC processors. Just as the evolution of classical computers was driven by advancements in silicon processors, we firmly believe quantum computing will follow the same silicon path. Like the majority of chips today, the new era of quantum computing will be powered by Arm, with a focus on power efficiency, performance, proven reliability, and a robust ecosystem.”

– Jason Lynch, CEO, Equal1 Labs

This year, the overall winner receives $250,000 Arm technology credit toward an Arm Flexible Access commercial tape-out. The runner-up receives $150,000 Arm Technology Credit towards an Arm Flexible Access commercial tape-out. The winner and runner-up will also receive:

A free Arm Design Review to enable Arm to review the customer’s design specification, Ticket to Arm’s invite-only ecosystem event for networking and a chance to be featured, and a pitch review session hosted by the Silicon Catalyst Angel investment group.

Additionally, Paul Williamson, Senior Vice President and General Manager, IoT Line of Business at Arm said:

“Arm technology is for everyone, and through this contest, we are recognizing and supporting the next wave of innovators to grow their business and accelerate their SoC designs. We know that time to product and access to the largest possible market are critical for startups, which is why we created Arm Flexible Access for Startups, providing $0 access to a wide portfolio of IP, tools and support, to maximize their chance of success.”

If you remember, we wrote the definitive book on Arm “Mobile Unleashed: The Origin and Evolution of the Arm Processor in our Devices” and we have written hundreds of related Arm articles. This contest is an incredible opportunity to work closely with the #1 processor IP company and the world’s only incubator focused exclusively on accelerating semiconductor solutions.