German chip startup chooses Samsung for its universal processor

saSamsung is one of the world’s biggest semiconductor companies, and it recently became the first company to start mass production of 2nm chips. Now, Ubitium, a German semiconductor startup that has designed a “universal processor” based on the RISC-V architecture, has taped out its first chip on Samsung Foundry’s 8nm process node.

Ubitium announced that the tape-out process for its first chip, UB410, was completed in December 2025. In the semiconductor industry, tape-out refers to the final stage of chip design, when the completed integrated circuit (IC) design is sent to a foundry for fabrication. Once a design reaches tape-out, it means the chip is ready to be manufactured for testing and validation. The company plans a second tape-out later this year, with mass production targeted for 2027.

The startup claims its chip is the world’s first universal processor based on the RISC-V architecture. It is designed to replace multiple specialized processors typically used in modern embedded systems. For example, modern cars can contain more than 200 chips, each running its own software stack and development tools. Managing so many processors increases system complexity and development costs. Ubitium says its universal processor could replace several of these specialized chips, simplifying system design and the supply chain.

RISC-V is an open standard instruction set architecture used to design processors. It competes with architectures such as Arm. Because RISC-V is open and royalty-free, companies can develop chips using it without paying licensing fees, which can reduce development costs. Ubitium’s processor can run Linux and real-time operating systems (RTOS) simultaneously. It can also process audio and radar signals in real time and execute neural networks locally for edge AI workloads.

“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.”

“The shift toward software-defined, reconfigurable computing is accelerating. Ubitium’s approach, where one universal processor replaces 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 the Foundry Technology Planning Team at Samsung Electronics.