AST SpaceMobile begins tape-out phase for ASIC chip partnering with TSMC

AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) commenced the tape-out phase for its Application-Specific Integrated Circuit – ASIC-, in collaboration with TSMC (TSM). The AST5000 ASIC is a novel, custom and low-power architecture developed to enable up to a tenfold improvement in processing bandwidth on each satellite, unlocking opportunities for space-based cellular broadband services worldwide. This marks the culmination of over four years of research, development, and engineering, as well as approximately $45M of development.