The Signal
SkyWater Opens OnRamp for Quantum Startups Seeking Their First Wafers
SkyWater announced OnRamp on October 27, offering selected early-stage quantum hardware teams no-cost engineering help to scope a foundry roadmap and paid access to early SP90 wafers. The program is aimed at photonics startups, university s
Quantum.world Team · Written with AI · fact-checked ·
“OnRamp gives founders direct access to the expertise, infrastructure, and guidance needed to make informed decisions earlier and advance from lab to fab with confidence.”
Mihir Bhaskar, SVP & GM, Quantum Solutions, SkyWater
SkyWater launched OnRamp on October 27, offering selected early-stage quantum hardware teams engineering help to assess whether their devices can be made in a commercial foundry. The company’s engineers will evaluate materials, process compatibility, integration and packaging needs, then set out a proposed fabrication route and the development work still required.
The offer is aimed at photonics startups, university spinouts and grant-backed teams working in quantum, sensing, communications and related fields. SkyWater says its engineering services to scope a foundry roadmap are available at no cost. Early access to wafers is a separate, paid opportunity.
A roadmap before a wafer order
SkyWater’s OnRamp page frames the program around three questions: whether a team’s device and layer stack fit available processes, what integration and packaging the technology requires, and what engineering risks or validation steps stand between a prototype and fabrication. The resulting written roadmap belongs to the startup and records a proposed manufacturing route, open questions and next steps.
That document may help a company prepare for a funding or commercial milestone, but it is not a promise that the design is ready for production. SkyWater says projects are selected according to technical fit, readiness and available engineering capacity. Applicants are asked to provide a non-confidential overview of their team, device and target application, along with the next milestone they want a foundry partner to help reach.
SP90 access is paid and selective
OnRamp centers on SP90, SkyWater’s 200 mm silicon nitride photonics platform. Selected companies may get early access to wafers from the foundry’s internal SP90 development runs before the platform’s full launch. SkyWater says selection depends on technical fit and wafer availability, while configurations and timing follow those internal runs.
The distinction matters for startups weighing the offer: engineering support to define a route is free, but tapeouts are paid, at what the company describes as cost-effective, low-volume pricing. The program page does not state a fixed price, schedule or wafer quantity. The launch announcement says startups retain full ownership of their design and process intellectual property; the program page separately says, “Your innovation stays yours.”
Designed for teams outside the standard foundry queue
SkyWater says large foundries can be difficult for early-stage companies developing new devices, particularly in integrated photonics. OnRamp brings those teams into direct contact with fab engineers before a conventional manufacturing engagement, giving the company a chance to identify material, process and packaging constraints earlier.
The company also offers no-cost support during NSF X-Labs Phase 0 to winners of that program. OnRamp’s practical test will be whether a roadmap and limited, paid access to internal development wafers help young teams reach a first manufacturable device without surrendering control of their designs. For now, SkyWater’s offer is specific: engineering time to scope the route costs nothing; an early SP90 wafer does not.