Licensing & business model
Free to verify. Licensed to ship.
A freemium model built for how semiconductor IP is actually adopted: engineers evaluate first and procurement follows. The algorithm core is open. The path into your product is licensed.
Tiers
Three steps from evaluation to volume.
Open core
Apache License 2.0 · no cost
- Full algorithm reference implementation
- Evaluate against your own signal database
- Audit and document the behaviour
- No commercial commitment
Integration licence
Commercial licence · per design
- Hardened, synthesisable RTL
- Standard interfaces for your SoC or MCU
- Verification collateral and documentation
- Engineering support through bring-up
Volume royalty
Per unit shipped
- Scales with your production volume
- Aligned incentives: we win when you ship
- Predictable per-unit cost in your BOM
- Multi-product and portfolio terms available
Chip as a component
The longer-term path is supplying the compression function as a packaged component for customers who would rather buy a part than integrate an IP block. IP licensing funds and de-risks that step.
Commercial terms are quoted per engagement. Contact us for a licence proposal.
The model
Fabless: low capital, high margin, scalable.
Sascab Microsystems owns no fab and holds no inventory. We design, license and collect royalties. That structure is deliberate — it is what lets a small team compete in a capital-intensive industry.
| Dimension | How it works | Consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | None — fabless | No capex in production capacity |
| Inventory | None | No working capital tied up in stock |
| Revenue — primary | IP licence fees | Recognised per design engagement |
| Revenue — recurring | Volume royalties | Grows with customer shipments |
| Marginal cost | Near zero per additional unit | High gross margin |
| Go-to-market | Open core → engineer-led adoption | Low customer acquisition cost |
| Customers | International cardiac monitor OEMs | Export-oriented from day one |
| Expansion | Toward component sales | Higher revenue per unit over time |
Why open source is a commercial decision
Credibility is the scarce resource, not code.
Removes adoption risk
A design team can satisfy itself that the algorithm is sound without a procurement process, an NDA or a purchase order.
Distribution without sales cost
The core travels further than any sales team could carry it, and it reaches the engineers who actually choose the block.
Monetise the hard part
The algorithm is the credential. Production-grade integration, verification and support are what customers genuinely pay for.
Talk terms.
Tell us your product, your volumes and your timeline, and we will put a licence proposal in front of you.