Thanks, that's info I (a non-fab chip guy) can sink my teeth into.
... it would be better to cooperate with a IC design service company at least for the first project. You bring the chip concept and architecture, they help you to design, manufacture, package and test it.
Recommendations of companies that have experience in BTC chip design?
From my point of view, it is almost impossible to build up the required competences from scratch, despite you hire some experienced IC designers in your company.
Had a hunch that chip fab was a "black art" with few knowledgeable participants.
We cannot support a $500K budget for tools much less the employee expense to operate said tools.
Where is your company located?
North Central US (North Central Minnesota, near Leech Lake to put a finer point on it).
Considering the ~$1,000 per die prototype expense, the packaging seems cheap.
Is there any advantage to not packaging the prototypes?