Open Source Sillicon

We all love open source. Linux, GCC, Python, Firefox, it’s everywhere. But if you look deeper into your computer, there’s a point where the openness suddenly stops.

Your browser, your OS, even your kernel might be free, but the CPU running them, the toolchains that built it, the firmware that boots it. they’re mostly closed.

In this talk, I want to take you on a small journey down the computing stack, from software to silicon and show where and why openness fades as we go lower.

We’ll talk about how open-source shaped the top layers of computing, and how projects like RISC-V, OpenTitan, OpenROAD, and SkyWater PDK, TinyTapeOut are now bringing that same spirit to hardware.

We'll understand how you software engineers actually get involved. Whether that’s working on firmware, simulators, verification, or even trying out your first chip design using open tools.

We'll connect the dots between open software and open hardware, and imagine a future where the entire stack, from browser to transistor, is truly open.

• Why openness stops as we go from software to hardware.

• How the open silicon movement is changing that.

• Projects that are making hardware accessible to everyone.

• Practical ways for software developers to join in.