UK-based SME providing semiconductor TCAD simulation and VLSI design tools, specializing in power devices, organic electronics, and neuromorphic chip modeling.
Silvaco is a semiconductor simulation and EDA (Electronic Design Automation) software company that provides TCAD modeling, VLSI design tools, and process/device simulation for the electronics industry. In H2020 projects, they contribute simulation and modeling expertise — helping consortia predict how new materials, device architectures, and fabrication processes will perform before physical prototyping. Their tools are used to model everything from organic semiconductors and flexible electronics to silicon carbide power devices and neuromorphic computing chips. They sit at the critical junction between materials science and chip manufacturing, translating physics into design rules.
Core contributor across all six projects — from organic semiconductors (DOMINO, EXTMOS) to SiC power devices (CHALLENGE) and neuromorphic chips (NeurONN), always providing modeling and simulation.
CHALLENGE focused on SiC MOSFET devices and ALMA on heat management in power electronics, both requiring simulation of high-power device behavior.
NeurONN (2020-2023) applies their TCAD and VLSI design capabilities to oscillatory neural networks for energy-efficient neuromorphic computing.
DOMINO and EXTMOS both focused on predictive modeling for organic semiconductors and flexible electronics, extending simulation tools beyond traditional silicon.
ALMA targeted multi-scale predictive design of heat management materials for power electronics — their largest funded project at EUR 415,625.
In 2014-2018, Silvaco focused on extending their simulation tools to non-traditional semiconductor domains — organic semiconductors, flexible electronics, and thermal management for power systems (DOMINO, ALMA, EXTMOS). From 2017 onward, their work shifted toward harder, application-specific challenges: silicon carbide power devices for energy applications (CHALLENGE) and neuromorphic chip architectures for AI hardware (NeurONN). The trajectory shows a clear move from fundamental materials modeling toward design tools for next-generation computing and power electronics.
Silvaco is moving toward AI hardware design tools and wide-bandgap semiconductor simulation — two areas with strong commercial demand in the 2025+ timeframe.
Silvaco participates exclusively as a specialist partner, never as coordinator — consistent with their role as a tool/software provider embedded in research consortia. With 54 unique partners across 12 countries in just 6 projects, they work in large, diverse consortia (averaging 9+ partners per project). This pattern suggests they are a sought-after simulation partner that different research groups invite when they need industrial-grade modeling capabilities.
Broad European network spanning 54 unique partners across 12 countries, built through participation in large research consortia. Their reach is wide rather than deep — few repeat partnerships, many different collaborators, indicating high demand from varied research communities.
Silvaco brings commercial-grade semiconductor simulation software into research consortia — something most academic partners cannot offer. While universities build one-off models, Silvaco's tools (TCAD, VLSI design suites) are used across the global semiconductor industry, meaning research results modeled with their software have a direct path to industrial adoption. For consortium builders, they solve the persistent problem of making academic device research transferable to manufacturing.
