Chip designers design drawings for foundries, why not steal technology?

The commercial integrity of modern enterprises cannot tolerate even a little stain. In particular, multinational companies cherish their feathers. This is generally lacking in many domestic small and medium-sized enterprises. Although we are making continuous progress, we have been in line with international standards. However, there is still a long way to go to achieve comprehensive international standards and respect intellectual property rights.

Different operating systems are more rogue than chips. Apple's chip doesn't integrate baseband, and more transistors can be made in the same area. The software system of ios is closed, so you feel that the phone is not stuck. Many components are adaptations of Android software and background mechanism.

Chip manufacturing is also an independent process. Wafer production is the manufacturer, wafer cutting is the manufacturer, chip substrate is the manufacturer and packaging is the manufacturer. Therefore, it is useless for you to master a link, and you still can't make a chip.

It is not difficult to design drawings, and it is even more difficult to achieve reliable finished products. The foundry mainly has mature technology, and most foreign countries mainly use technology, and our main design and technology are to ensure the reliability, maintainability and economy of products. Now the country has increased the research and development of technology, just like those who say that assembly has no technical content, thinking that assembly is to make a hole and screw it up! Without assembly technology, assembly is unreliable, such as mobile phone assembly, which needs to consider heat dissipation technology, electromagnetic compatibility technology, material application technology, and so on!

Regardless of legal factors, TSMC can extract design drawings (GDS2 files) into circuit logic design (netlist) through reverse technology for research. At present, the reverse technology does not need design drawings, and the design layout and netlist logic can be extracted reversely as long as the chip particles are obtained.

There is another professional thing that doesn't know so many patents. After you write one, I don't even know where it came from. Those judges will understand, but those who study computers may not. Not to mention a judge studying law. I stole it. I deny it. I said it was mine, and then I added a little more to the craft. Just say: I am different from him, what will you do? I don't know how words represent these patented technologies.

Electronic products will have circuit diagrams, many of which are open. Seeing this picture, other manufacturers can completely copy it, but you don't know the design principle of this picture. Why do you want to design like this? Even if you have the strength to understand these, (if you can really understand the circuit diagram completely, you can design it yourself) you will also face a patent problem. What's more, the CPU is very complicated, and the foundry also has a confidentiality agreement, market reputation and so on. Therefore, the foundry will not risk infringement, and the consequences will be serious. It is better to do your job with peace of mind.

There is no point in leaking secrets. Chip technology is updated every year. When you have thoroughly studied it, other people's next-generation products will come out. Hardware is like buying a computer, you need to install a system to press the driver. The most important thing is that you earn money by branding. Be honest, make sure you don't lose money, and if you leak it, you'll lose everything. How do you choose?

The printing factory prints for customers, but they can't design and can only simply output. Although they have the ability to recruit design from design to production, it takes time and energy to run customers, which is another complicated understanding. Therefore, there is specialization in the industry, and industry segmentation is normal. Before that, key areas should have their own advantages!

Nonsense, Qualcomm works for Apple and Huawei, which is the most creative statement in the headline history. In addition, when the chip was handed over to the foundry, almost all the design materials were submitted. Otherwise, what did you input into MES? There are some technical means to prevent theft, but mainly rely on legal deterrent measures, such as NDA agreement. After all, there are only a few foundries, and no one dares to take the risk. Moreover, chip plagiarism is much easier to find and prove than code plagiarism.

Coca-Cola, Amway, KFC and other products have production plants in major cities in China. Do you think they produce in China because they believe in confidentiality agreement? The Coca-Cola factory in China only makes cans, while Foxconn only makes packaging. Shanghai Volkswagen has been a public for decades. Do you think it's only because of confidentiality agreement that you dare not localize? Don't take the confidentiality agreement too seriously, it is of great benefit to some extent, and the agreement is an edge ball in any country.

I don't understand chip technology, but it is a common phenomenon in manufacturing industry now. Let me give you an example to see if this is the case. If human beings are created by the creator, then the creator knows very well what role every cell and organ of the human body plays and what role they can play when they work together. Then the foundry is similar to a smart doctor and has a clear understanding of the human body structure. It can even make all human organs and artificial appendix. But it has never been clear what the appendix is for, and it doesn't matter much if it is cut as soon as you get appendicitis. There are many cases similar to appendix, and the foundry only knows part of the function of an organ. Many, many functions are difficult for the original designers to understand and can only guess. If I give you a high-end machine, you can take it apart for imitation and reverse development. Even if your processing technology is better than the original, it is probably not as good as others, and you can't fully realize all the functions. This is the technical barrier! In addition, the constraint of legal intellectual property rights is of course a major reason.

The relationship between hardware and software is just like human brain and thinking. No one's brain structure is similar, but their IQ is quite different, even the twins' sisters and brothers are the same, and the hardware brain is the same, but the acquired development is absolutely different, even very different, such as lifestyle, birth philosophy, career achievement and health status, which are different from the acquired software. So hardware can't completely determine software, and software can't push hardware backwards. But one thing is certain: the good operation of a good software program depends on an excellent hardware foundation. If the brain is underdeveloped, it is difficult to achieve excellent results the day after tomorrow, which means that both software and hardware are very important, based on high-quality congenital hardware.

Theoretically, design technology can be understood, but it faces the cost of law (agreement), use and reputation. OEM enterprises rely on customers' orders to make profits and stay ahead in further research and development. Stealing customers' designs is useless and the profit is limited. They also face the risk of losing credibility, customers and lawsuits, which is not worth the loss.

To put it simply, Qualcomm and Apple, you dare to steal their secrets, and guarantee that no international manufacturers will ask you to do OEM work, and even the entire foundry in China will be abandoned by international manufacturers. At the same time, all participating domestic brands will not want to go abroad and will sue you until bankruptcy. Those who break the rules deserve no sympathy. This is international knowledge.

Take the drawings? Do you think machining? Lithographic plates are designed and processed by foundry. Take it if you say so. Are you kidding? The simulation engineer of the design company draws the layout of a single chip, and the foundry is responsible for reviewing and drawing the layout of the wafer. The foundry is also responsible for the alignment marks of each floor! There is no IP in the foundry, so it is meaningless to take it away. This product is subject to a confidentiality agreement unless it is sold to a competitor. At least this foreign country is doing well, and the domestic confidentiality agreement is just like fart.

To tell you clearly, in the field of computer chips, manufacturing equipment is more difficult than chip drawings. The upgrade of each generation of chips depends on the accuracy of the equipment. From tens of nanometers to 7 nanometers now, there are many companies that can design chips, but few can produce chips. Apple needs to find Samsung and TSMC to produce chips. In the world of advanced fields, it is easy to learn theory, but it is difficult to turn it into reality.