Booking an MPW shuttle is often seen as a safe first step toward silicon. In reality, MPW only reduces mask cost risk — it does not protect you from an unready design.
Many MPW failures happen not because MPW is the wrong choice, but because the design was not ready for tapeout when the shuttle window arrived. This article helps you assess whether your design is actually ready — before you commit to an MPW run.
Being MPW-ready does not mean:
MPW-ready means:
MPW is for learning, not for discovering basic integration mistakes.
If block interfaces, clocking, or power domains are still changing, MPW will expose problems — but at the cost of time and momentum.
MPW does not tolerate:
Many teams focus heavily on front-end readiness and ignore:
MPW often has packaging and test limitations that cannot be changed late.
MPW does not replace:
MPW silicon is still real silicon. Basic design mistakes are expensive even on a shared wafer.
MPW shuttles run on fixed schedules.
If your design slips:
MPW favors teams who are ready early, not teams who rush late.
If you cannot confidently answer most of these, MPW is premature:
MPW is safest when risk is intentional, not accidental.
Many teams frame the decision as: “MPW is cheaper, so let’s start there.”
A better framing is: “Where do we want to absorb risk — now or later?”
If your design is:
MPW can delay your project rather than accelerate it.
Instead of guessing, use a quick decision check that factors in:
👉 → Run the MPW vs Full Mask decision tool
This helps you determine whether:
Not being ready is normal. Common next steps before MPW:
MPW works best when it’s a planned learning step, not a gamble.
MPW does not forgive poor preparation — it exposes it faster. Used at the right moment, MPW accelerates learning and reduces risk. Used too early, it creates false confidence and schedule pain.
Readiness, not cost, is the real MPW gate.
