Open-Source-Chip-Design — A new Playground for Ham Radio? Easterhegg 23

Open-source chip-design initiatives and EDA tools are enabling affordable, workflows from SystemVerilog to GDS-II, making custom ASICs accessible even to hobbyists. As a demonstration, a collaboration between JKU Linz and the University of Würzburg realized the first fully integrated WSPR transmitter IC using the Tiny Tapeout 130 nm mixed-signal process, eliminating the need for PCs, microcontrollers, or FPGAs. The chip combines a digital subsystem that generates WSPR symbols using CORDIC and sigma-delta modulation with an analog RF chain that performs IQ modulation, filtering, and amplification, proving that real-world amateur radio applications can be implemented entirely with open-source tools.