The QuickStart program includes a pool of silicon-validated free IP from TSMC and selected third party providers. Under the program, qualified customers do not pay license payments to participating IP providers until their design begins production, TSMC said.

"We want to fast-track SOC innovation to silicon as quickly as possible," said Ed Chen, director of design services at TSMC. The QuickStart program will allow customers to reduce their risk, and the time required to source IP that is proven to work in TSMC's process, he said.

Initially, QuickStart offers qualified customers free access to selected IP for prototype design from TSMC IP partners, including Cadence Design Systems, Mentor Graphics, Barcelona Design, and from TSMC's internal IP portfolio.

Samples of IP available from the QuickStart program include embedded CPU cores, PCI-Express, USB controllers, a 3.125-Gbit SerDes, Ethernet MAC, synthesizable PLL, and I/O cores including LVDS, SSTL2, HSTL Specialty IO, and others.

TSMC's CyberShuttle program, which combines several designs on a mask for prototyping, will be used to help validate the QuickStart prototypes.