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Guild: wafer.space Community
Channel: Information / questions / Cadence PDK?
After: 02/28/2026 23:59
Before: 04/01/2026 00:00
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[03/25/2026 14:40] chaask
Does the wafer.space GF180 PDK have a Virtuoso compatible version. I am trying to do some analog design work, and i am comfortable inside Virtuoso. So just wondering, if we have that option.


[03/25/2026 17:09] nmz787
I haven't seen any


[03/25/2026 17:09] nmz787
the only DRC seems to be klayout


[03/25/2026 17:29] 246tnt
Wouldn't that be distributed by Cadence directly ?


[03/25/2026 17:30] 246tnt
I know for sky130 open pdk, Cadence is the one ditributing the matching PDK.


[03/25/2026 17:30] 246tnt
It's still subject to NDA and such so no-one else can distribute it ...


[03/25/2026 19:37] chaask
I dont think cadence version is opensource. but generally mpw vendors or the foundry supply the closed source pdk under nda. is that possible with us.


[03/25/2026 19:38] chaask
will our mpw partner also be able do that @Tim 'mithro' Ansell .


[03/25/2026 19:43] mithro_
wafer.space doesn't care how you create the GDS but we don't supply access to any proprietary PDKs.

Your GDS also needs to be 100% clean by the wafer.space platform, not whatever the cadence or any proprietary PDK says. 

Wafer.space also does not support waivers from customers.


[03/25/2026 19:46] mithro_
Some people have access to a mostly compatible Cadence PDK through agreements with other entities and have successfully taped out.

As well, GF will *not* respond to requests for the PDK without other relationships with them already.


[03/25/2026 19:46] chaask
thanks tim.


[03/25/2026 19:47] mithro_
I'm unclear if Cadence tooling is able to load the open source file formats. They are old enough / simple enough they might work with a bit of work.


[03/25/2026 19:49] mithro_
Btw wafer.space also doesn't provide any direct support for tooling - open or closed.

If you need technical help in creating designs (with whatever tooling), the design help page has a number of companies willing to provide paid support services.

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[03/25/2026 20:48] nmz787
my experience also is that the foundry provides the PDK, with support for any tools they expect users will want. I have never heard of tool vendors supplying a foundry PDK component


[03/25/2026 20:49] nmz787
for something like DRC, I don't think this is possible without some translator which surely Cadence/Synopsys isn't making for working with klayout


[03/25/2026 20:49] nmz787
OASIS and GDS are industry standards, so of course closed-source tools support them


[03/25/2026 20:50] nmz787
APR techfiles are mostly ASCII with grid definitions (pitches, CDs, spaces) so a translator is likely easier to code (I suppose even for AI)


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