OpenSUSI (Open Source Utilized Silicon Initiatives), a non-profit organization in Japan, has launched OpenSUSI-MPW, an open-source multi-project wafer (MPW) shuttle service, while developing and maintaining an open-source process design kit (PDK) for Tokai Rika's 1 µm CMOS technology (TR-1um) in a publicly accessible GitHub repository.

The inaugural OpenSUSI-MPW 2026 program closed its application period on September 18, 2026, successfully selling 49 of the 63 available design slots. The program attracted a broader range of participants than initially anticipated, including technical high schools, colleges of technology (KOSEN), universities, and private companies seeking hands-on semiconductor design experience for employee training and reskilling. This presentation will highlight these applications and demonstrate how open-source silicon design and manufacturing infrastructure can lower barriers to semiconductor innovation and education.

Furthermore, open-source EDA tools and PDKs, which can be shared and accessed freely without restrictive licensing or non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), are particularly well suited to integration with AI agents. This openness creates new opportunities for AI-assisted and AI-agent-driven semiconductor design workflows.

The presentation will also introduce a practical case study in which an AI agent designed a chip for OpenSUSI-MPW using the TR-1um PDK and KLayout, an open-source EDA tool, demonstrating AI agents' potential to make semiconductor design more accessible and efficient.