FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OpenRAM Acquired by Private Company, to Become Closed-Source April 1, 2023 - In a surprising move, OpenRAM, the popular open-source memory compiler tool, has been acquired by a private company and will soon become a closed-source product. OpenRAM has been widely used in the semiconductor industry, with its open-source nature allowing for greater collaboration and innovation among users. However, the recent acquisition by a private company has caused concern among the open-source community, as the product's code will no longer be accessible to the public. The new owners of OpenRAM have announced that they will be developing a closed-source version of the software, which will be made available to customers for a fee. The company has cited the need for greater control over the product's development and the desire to monetize the tool as reasons for the decision to move away from open-source. This news has been met with disappointment by many members of the open-source community, who have long relied on OpenRAM for their memory design needs. Some have expressed concern that the move to closed-source will limit innovation and slow progress in the industry, as the community will no longer be able to freely collaborate on the tool's development. Despite these concerns, the new owners of OpenRAM have expressed their commitment to providing a high-quality product and continuing to serve the needs of their customers. They have also stated that they will be working to build strong relationships with the semiconductor industry and investing in the continued development of the tool. The new closed-source version of OpenRAM is set to be released in the coming months. In the meantime, the current open-source version will still be available to the public, but will no longer receive updates or support from the new owners. About OpenRAM: OpenRAM is a popular open-source memory compiler tool used in the semiconductor industry. It was originally developed by researchers at the VLSI CAD Laboratory at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and has been widely adopted by designers and engineers for its flexibility and ease of use. Contact: For more information, please contact the new owners of OpenRAM at info@closedsourceopenram.com.

It's now ClosedRAM

Is it a prank ? As today is fools day😅

Lol

Sadly domain isn’t real — insufficient commitment to the bit :’(

@Siddharth Joshi it was all ChatGPT

3 months later, talking to @Matthew Guthaus I became aware that this was an April fool’s joke (in case anyone else wasn’t aware).