What Muse Semiconductor does

Muse Semiconductor is a privately held LLC founded in February 2018 and headquartered in San Jose, California, that provides Multi Project Wafer (MPW) tapeout services exclusively through TSMC foundries. Its core offering routes university researchers, semiconductor startups, and IP suppliers to advanced TSMC process nodes — including 16nm FFC and 7nm FF — via three tapeout tiers: Shared Block Tapeouts (wafer-sharing for minimum-area designs), Full Block Tapeouts (larger silicon area at MPW economics), and Dedicated Mask Tapeouts (for commercial customers needing regular capacity). Pricing per tapeout ranges from $23,000/mm2 for 16nm shared blocks to $75,000 for a 16nm full block and $62,000 for a 7nm full block, with the University FinFET Program offering 16nm ADFP classroom PDK access for $1,000. The company name is an informal acronym for 'MPW University Service,' reflecting its academic-first origin.

The company is organized as a lean distributed team — fewer than ten employees across California, Canada, Oman, and India — led by co-founder and General Manager Bill Isaacson (formerly Sr. Director at eSilicon, Design Center Manager at LSI Logic) and AVP of Sales Mike Andrews (formerly IMEC Business Development Manager). Supporting directors bring 20-35+ years of experience from MOSIS, CMC Microsystems, Intel Foundry Services, Microchip, AMD, and other semiconductor organizations. Muse extends its offering beyond wafer aggregation via a partnership with QP Technologies for 5-day packaging cycle time, plus Backend Design & Manufacturing Services covering physical design, DRC, testing, and TSMC IP library distribution at no incremental cost in most cases. Customer segments span university VLSI programs (primary), semiconductor startups, and IP suppliers, with sales conducted via direct email engagement, regional EMEA coverage, and a Japanese-language website for international reach.

The revenue model is project-based: one-time tapeout fees per engagement rather than recurring subscriptions, supplemented by assembly and ancillary design services. Muse has not publicly disclosed revenue, funding rounds, or institutional investment, suggesting an organically funded, founder-controlled operation. Go-to-market is hybrid — sales-led for commercial customers, community-led for academia through the University FinFET Program — supported by lightweight legal requirements (typically two agreements) and a 24-hour sales response commitment.

Name

Muse Semiconductor

Legal name

Muse Semiconductor LLC

Website

https://musesemi.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Muse Semiconductor is a privately held San Jose-based LLC founded in 2018 that provides Multi Project Wafer (MPW) tapeout services through TSMC foundries, serving university researchers, semiconductor startups, and IP suppliers with access to 16nm and 7nm process nodes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Semiconductor Fabrication Services

NAICS

Semiconductor and Related Device Manufacturing (334413)

SIC

Semiconductors & Related Devices (3674), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

R&D / Prototyping & MPW Shuttle Foundries (HDAHACAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Foundry Platform & Design Enablement Services (PDK/DFM/Process Qualification) (HDAHACAJ), Logic Foundries (Advanced Nodes) (HDAHACAA)

Keywords

• Multi-project wafer services
• Semiconductor tapeout services
• ASIC fabrication services
• MPW shuttle services
• Chip prototyping services

Headquarters

HQ city

Aurora

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Shared Block Tapeouts: MPW services where multiple customers share wafer costs. Customers get small minimum areas with frequent tapeouts and readily available support. Shortest lead times in the industry.
2. Full Block Tapeouts: MPW services with more wafer space while maintaining short lead times and troubleshooting support. Available for all TSMC technologies.
3. Dedicated Mask Tapeouts: Dedicated mask tapeout services supporting all TSMC technologies for startups and commercial buyers requiring regular tapeouts.
4. QP Technologies Assembly: Packaging and assembly services through QP Technologies partnership with 5-day cycle time. Supports various QFN and CQFP package sizes.
5. University FinFET Program: Access to advanced TSMC 16nm and 7nm FinFET technologies at MPW price points for university research and education. Includes PDK and IP access.
6. TSMC IP Access: Access to TSMC IP including standard cell libraries, I/O libraries, and memories, typically provided at no additional cost to customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Muse Semiconductor provides Multi-Project Wafer (MPW) tapeout services delivered exclusively through TSMC foundries, enabling university researchers, semiconductor startups, and IP suppliers to share wafer costs and access advanced process nodes such as 16nm FFC and 7nm FF. The company's core offerings include Shared Block Tapeouts, Full Block Tapeouts, and Dedicated Mask Tapeouts, complemented by QP Technologies Assembly packaging, Backend Design and Manufacturing Services, and the University FinFET Program for academic customers.

Product overview

Muse Semiconductor provides a unified MPW (Multi Project Wafer) service platform enabling university researchers and commercial customers to access TSMC foundry services. The core offering consists of three tapeout service tiers: Shared Block Tapeouts (for cost-effective MPW access with shared wafer space), Full Block Tapeouts (for customers needing more area while retaining MPW benefits), and Dedicated Mask Tapeouts (for startups and commercial buyers seeking dedicated capacity). These tapeout services are enhanced by QP Technologies Assembly (providing 5-day packaging solutions), the University FinFET Program (offering 16nm and 7nm FinFET access at academic pricing), Backend Design & Manufacturing Services (covering physical design, DRC, and testing), and TSMC IP Access (standard cell, I/O libraries, and SRAM compilers). All services leverage TSMC foundries exclusively.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Shared Block Tapeouts MPW service providing shared wafer space with the shortest lead times in the industry, frequent tapeouts, small minimum areas (1mm² for 16nm), and readily available technical support. Targeted at university researchers and commercial customers seeking cost-effective access to TSMC nodes.
• Full Block Tapeouts MPW service offering more silicon area than shared blocks (e.g., 4mm² minimum for 16nm at $75,000) while maintaining short lead times and accessible troubleshooting support via email. Available across all TSMC technologies for customers needing more space without moving to dedicated mask tapeouts.
• Dedicated Mask Tapeouts Dedicated tapeout service supporting all TSMC technologies for semiconductor startups and commercial buyers requiring regular, dedicated tapeout capacity beyond MPW block models.
• QP Technologies Assembly Packaging solutions with 5-day cycle time offered in partnership with QP Technologies (Quikpak), supporting QFN packages (3x3mm to 12x12mm with 8-100 leads) and CQFP packages (28x28mm with 128 leads).
• University FinFET Program Access to advanced TSMC 16nm and 7nm FinFET technologies at MPW price points for university research and education, including PDK and IP access, fabrication services, and a $1,000 Academic Design Foster Package (ADFP) PDK for classroom instruction.
• Backend Design and Manufacturing Services Comprehensive backend services including physical design (PD), Design Rule Check (DRC), complete testing, and additional manufacturing support for customer tapeouts.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5-day assembly cycle time through QP Technologies partnership
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TSMCcoreTechnology or IntegrationTSMC is the primary foundry partner providing all manufacturing capabilities. Muse Semiconductor offers MPW and dedicated tapeout services through TSMC foundries, accessing all TSMC technologies including 16nm FFC, 7nm FF, and other advanced nodes. The partnership includes a 3-way NDA structure between Muse, TSMC, and customers for PDK/IP access.
• QP Technologies (Quikpak)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQP Technologies provides assembly and packaging services with a 5-day cycle time. Muse offers their packaging solutions to customers through the QP Technologies Assembly service. Available packages include QFN (3x3mm to 12x12mm with 8-100 leads) and CQFP (28x28mm with 128 leads).
• TSMC IP LibrariescoreTechnology or IntegrationAccess to TSMC IP including standard cell libraries, I/O libraries, and SRAM compilers provided to customers at no additional cost in most cases. Requested via [email protected].
• GSMEminorOthersGSME (appears as related entity on website footer). An internship relationship exists as evidenced by Muse team member Ali Choudhry completing a Test Automation Engineer internship at GSME.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Circuits Multi-Projets (CMP): CMP is a French MPW aggregation service offering multi-project wafer runs to academic and industrial customers across multiple foundries. It is one of the original MPW shuttle providers in Europe and serves the same university/researcher customer profile as Muse.
• Europractice: Europractice is a European service providing academic and commercial customers access to IC fabrication and MPW services through major foundries. It competes for the same university research and prototype tapeout business that Muse addresses in North America.
• Efabless: Efabless runs the chipIgnite MPW program and open-source silicon platforms targeting startups, researchers, and academics. It is a direct competitor in the low-cost, accessible MPW tapeout space, particularly for community/open-source designs.
• MOSIS: MOSIS is a direct competitor offering MPW/shuttle services for academic and commercial customers through TSMC, GlobalFoundries, and other foundries. Hwee Tin Ban (Muse's Director of Foundry Interface) previously spent 12 years at MOSIS, underscoring the direct comparability of services.
• CMC Microsystems: CMC Microsystems provides Canadian universities and startups with access to semiconductor fabrication services, including MPW shuttle aggregation. Jim Quinn (Muse's Director of Foundry Interface) previously managed fabrication services at CMC, indicating direct overlap in business model and customer base.

Others

• eSilicon: eSilicon (now part of Inphi/Marvell) historically provided ASIC design services and MPW aggregation. Both Muse co-founder Bill Isaacson and AVP Mike Andrews previously held senior roles at eSilicon, making it a comparable reference point for the type of service-led ASIC aggregation business Muse operates.
• QuickLogic (QP Technologies parent ecosystem): QP Technologies (Quikpak) provides assembly and packaging services that Muse resells to its customers. As a packaging partner, QP is an enabler to Muse's end-to-end service stack rather than a competitor.

Broad incumbents

• GlobalFoundries: GlobalFoundries offers its own MPW/shuttle programs for academic and commercial customers across multiple process nodes. While at a much larger scale, GF represents an alternative channel that competes with Muse's TSMC-dependent offering for the same academic tapeout dollars.
• IMEC: IMEC is a large semiconductor research organization offering MPW services and ASIC prototyping. Muse's AVP of Sales Mike Andrews previously grew IMEC's North American custom silicon business to over $30M annually, evidencing comparable customer overlap but at much larger scale.
• SkyWater Technology Foundry: SkyWater operates a US-based foundry offering MPW shuttle services and dedicated wafer runs for academic, startup, and commercial customers. It overlaps with Muse's MPW aggregation model but as a foundry itself rather than a channel partner.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/muse-semiconductor
• Xx.com/musesemi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Muse Semiconductor