A process design kit (PDK) is the set of files a semiconductor foundry gives chip designers so their designs follow the rules of one manufacturing process. US export rules define it as a software tool provided by a semiconductor manufacturer to ensure that the required design practices and rules are taken into account, so a design can be produced in a specific process.
Why it matters when licensing company data
A PDK usually holds device models, design rules, technology files for the design tools and often standard-cell and IO libraries. Designers run physical verification against the PDK's rule decks before tapeout, and they record the PDK version with every sign-off.
Most commercial PDKs reach design teams under the foundry's agreements and are kept confidential. Open PDKs, such as SkyWater's 130 nm kit released with Google under the Apache 2.0 license, are the exception. For a design firm reviewing its archive, any file that embeds PDK content belongs to the foundry's terms, not to the firm, and stays out of anything shared.
Under the Commerce Control List, the technology controls in 3E001 and 3E905 do not apply to PDKs unless they include libraries implementing functions or technologies for items specified by 3A001. See chip design data and the tapeout checklist.
Example
A verification consultancy reviews ten years of project folders before describing them. Its engineers find that layout databases, timing libraries and DRC decks from three foundries sit beside their own scripts and testbenches. They separate the foundry PDK files and anything generated from standard-cell views, keep their own regression scripts and verification IP, and ask counsel to confirm the export classification of what remains before anyone outside the firm sees a sample.
Source
15 CFR part 774, supplement 1, Category 3 PDK note (eCFR). Definition reviewed November 9, 2026 by Origin Data Partners.