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Ubitium Tapes Out First Silicon of its Universal Microprocessor Architecture on Samsung 8nm
DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY, 9 March 2026: Ubitium, a German semiconductor start-up, today announced the tape-out of its first silicon on Samsung Foundry’s 8nm process. The tape-out was completed in December 2025. The chip is the first universal RISC-V processor to replace the stack of specialized processors used in modern embedded systems.
Embedded computing, a $115 billion market, has reached a breaking point. Cars once ran on one processor; today’s vehicles contain more than 200, each with its own toolchain, software stack and supplier. Performance is no longer the only limiting factor. Complexity is. As AI workloads move into robots, drones, and industrial machines, this complexity becomes unsustainable.
Ubitium builds on RISC-V, the open-source architecture already used in billions of chips worldwide and extends it beyond a conventional CPU. Its universal processor runs Linux and RTOS simultaneously, handles radar and audio signals in real time, and executes neural networks for inference at the edge, without separate accelerators or coprocessors. Full RISC-V software compatibility preserved.
“This tape-out turns a long-held thesis into silicon,” said Martin Vorbach, CTO of Ubitium. “Embedded workloads have outgrown the architectures the industry relies on today. Consolidation isn’t optional anymore. It’s inevitable.”
Ubitium does for embedded compute what software-defined radio did for wireless: replaces fixed-function hardware with one reconfigurable silicon. The result: embedded systems that ship faster, cost less, and have long product lifecycles.
Ubitium is working with Samsung Foundry, Siemens Digital Industries Software and ADTechnology as it advances toward production silicon.
“The shift toward software-defined, reconfigurable compute is accelerating. Ubitium’s approach, one universal processor replacing multiple specialized chips, aligns with where we see embedded systems heading. We’re proud to manufacture their first silicon.” Said Taejoong Song, vice president and head of Foundry Technology Planning Team, at Samsung Electronics.
“Shift-left verification helps teams validate system behavior earlier by running more realistic workloads ahead of first silicon,” said Jean-Marie Brunet, Sr. Vice President, Hardware Assisted Verification, Siemens Digital Industries Software. “Ubitium’s use of Siemens’ EDA tools, specifically the Veloce CS hardware-assisted verification and validation system, highlights how early validation can de-risk integration, support design closure, and accelerate time to first silicon.”
“Advanced-node silicon delivery depends on disciplined back-end execution across timing, power, and signoff,” said Jun-Kyu Park, CEO of ADTechnology. “We are pleased to have supported Ubitium throughout the implementation process as it progressed to tape-out on Samsung Foundry’s 8nm process.”
Ubitium’s founders have spent decades building programmable architectures and the software stacks that unlock them at scale. CTO Martin Vorbach created PACT XPP, an early commercial reconfigurable processor, and holds 200+ processor-architecture patents. The core team combines deep industry experience from Intel, Texas Instruments, Apple and NVIDIA, with 350+ peer-reviewed publications.
The tape-out validates the foundational components of Ubitium’s architecture: the Universal Processing Array with runtime reconfiguration and LPDDR5 memory interface. A second tape-out is targeted for later this year, with volume production in 2027.
Technical Notes
- Workload coverage: Ubitium’s universal processor spans general-purpose computing, real-time signal processing, and massively parallel AI inference on a single die; in a homogeneous architecture
- Software stack: Full Linux and RTOS support, standard RISC-V toolchains, and compatibility with modern software frameworks. No need for proprietary languages or vendor-specific compilers.
- Target applications: Radar and multi-sensor signal chains, real-time audio and voice, computer vision, edge AI, automotive cockpits, industrial HMI.
- Runtime adaptability: The Universal Processing Array shifts execution mode at runtime (CPU, DSP, GPU, parallel accelerator) without context-switch penalty or external offload.
- System consolidation: One processor, one toolchain, one qualification cycle. Reduces BOM cost, board complexity, and supplier dependencies across product lifecycles.
About Ubitium
Ubitium is developing a universal, runtime-reconfigurable RISC-V microprocessor designed to reduce embedded computing complexity and cost across consumer electronics, automotive, and defence & space. The company’s goal is a single, adaptable compute platform that helps make future devices more autonomous and resilient. To learn more, visit https://ubitium.com
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Image source: ubitium.com
