Terms of service

1. Agreement structure

These Terms apply to the Wafercad website and to product access where no separate signed agreement applies. A signed master agreement, Order Form or institutional agreement takes priority over these Terms for the covered service. A data processing addendum governs personal-data processing, a security schedule governs agreed security commitments, and a country or regional addendum governs mandatory local requirements. If documents conflict, the more specific signed document controls for its subject matter.

The Order Form identifies the contracting entity, customer, deployment model, products, usage limits, term, fees, support level and any authorized channel partner. Product descriptions are informational until incorporated into a signed agreement.

2. Accounts and organizational authority

You must provide accurate account information, protect credentials and promptly report suspected compromise. An organization or institution administrator may create, manage, suspend and remove accounts within its tenant and may access tenant data according to its policies and the agreed roles.

If you accept these Terms for an organization, you represent that you have authority to bind it. The organization is responsible for its authorized users, role assignments, lawful instructions and use of the service.

3. Authorized channel partners

An Authorized Channel Partner is a reseller, distributor, implementation partner or managed service provider that the Wafercad legal entity has approved in writing for defined countries, customers or services. A partner may facilitate procurement, deployment, local invoicing, training or first-line support as stated in the Order Form.

• The Order Form must identify whether the customer contracts with the Wafercad legal entity, the partner, or both for separate responsibilities.
• A partner cannot change Wafercad warranties, product commitments, data rights or security obligations unless expressly authorized in a written agreement.
• Partner access to a customer tenant requires customer authorization, a scoped role and auditable activity. The customer may request its removal subject to support obligations.
• Each party remains responsible for its own personnel, taxes, regulatory obligations and data processing. The applicable DPA or country addendum defines privacy roles.

4. Service, subscriptions and entitlements

Access is limited to the edition, seats, usage allowances, AI features, PDKs, storage and environments stated in the Order Form. Customers may not share subscriptions outside the authorized organization or bypass technical limits. Preview or evaluation features may change, be restricted or end; production commitments apply only when stated in a signed agreement.

Support, availability, maintenance windows, backups and any offered service credits are defined in the applicable support or service schedule. Wafercad does not promise uninterrupted or error-free operation.

5. Acceptable use

Users must not attempt unauthorized access; defeat tenant, license or security controls; disrupt the service; introduce malicious code; unlawfully monitor another person; use the platform to infringe rights; or reverse engineer the service except where a non-waivable law permits it. Automated use must follow documented APIs, quotas and authorization boundaries.

Wafercad may investigate suspected misuse and may restrict access when reasonably necessary to protect customers, the platform or legal compliance. Where practical, notice and an opportunity to remedy will be provided.

6. Customer content, platform IP and confidentiality

Customers retain ownership of their designs, layouts, schematics, customer-provided PDK and technology materials, simulation and verification results, course content, prompts and other uploaded data (“Customer Content”). Customers grant only the rights needed to host, process, transmit, secure and support that content under the agreement.

Customer-provided PDKs, rule decks, models and DRM materials are confidential Customer Content and are handled within the contracted deployment boundary under the applicable NDA and security terms. The customer must have the right to provide and use them. Wafercad may not publish, redistribute or use them for another customer. Accepting or processing such material does not imply foundry endorsement, redistribution rights, silicon qualification or signoff status.

The Wafercad legal entity and its licensors retain ownership of Wafercad software, interfaces, documentation and platform technology. Feedback may be used to improve the service without identifying the customer or disclosing confidential information. Each party must protect the other party’s confidential information under the signed agreement. Licensed PDK and third-party materials remain subject to their separate terms.

7. Academic and learner use

Institutions control courses, rosters, instructor roles, learner access, progress records and retention settings within their tenant. The institution must establish an appropriate legal basis, provide required notices, obtain any necessary permissions, and configure access for its educational program.

Where student records are subject to FERPA or comparable law, Wafercad acts in the role stated in the institutional agreement and only if the required conditions are met. For children covered by COPPA or local age-of-consent rules, the service may be used only under a compliant institutional arrangement and for the authorized educational purpose. Wafercad does not use learner data for targeted advertising.

8. AI-assisted features

AI features may explain results, retrieve authorized references, summarize context or generate a typed proposal. Outputs can be incomplete or incorrect and are non-authoritative unless an applicable product specification expressly states otherwise. Users must review outputs before relying on or approving them.

AI actions remain subject to tenant isolation, entitlements, current authorization and recorded approval. A proposal does not modify a design until an authorized user approves a supported action and deterministic validation succeeds. Customer Content is not used to train models made available to other customers unless the customer expressly agrees in writing.

9. Engineering and signoff responsibility

Wafercad supports IC design, simulation and verification workflows, including work with customer-authorized technology inputs under confidential terms. Deterministic engines, configured rules and approved engineering processes remain authoritative. Unless a signed product schedule expressly states otherwise, the service is not represented as foundry-qualified or signoff-grade. Customers are responsible for reviewing designs, validating results, and completing required pre-signoff and final signoff with their approved tools, qualified PDKs and foundry flow.

10. Fees, taxes and changes

Fees, billing currency, usage charges, renewal, payment terms and taxes are set out in the Order Form or partner agreement. The customer is responsible for applicable taxes except taxes on the seller’s income. Material changes to a paid subscription require the notice stated in the agreement; changes required for security or law may take effect sooner.

11. Privacy, security and regulated use

The Privacy Policy explains personal-data practices and the Security page describes the security model. Enterprise or institutional processing should be covered by a DPA and, where applicable, regional transfer terms. Customers must not submit data that the service is not contracted or configured to handle.

Use may be subject to export controls, sanctions, procurement rules and industry restrictions. Each party must comply with laws applicable to its role and location.

12. Suspension, termination and data return

Access may be suspended for material breach, security risk, unlawful use or non-payment, using a proportionate scope where reasonably possible. Termination rights, cure periods and refunds are governed by the signed agreement. On expiry or termination, customers may export data during the agreed retrieval period; deletion and backup expiry follow the DPA, Order Form and applicable law.

13. Disclaimers, liability and local law

To the extent permitted by law, website and evaluation materials are provided as available, and implied warranties are excluded. Warranty remedies, indemnities and liability allocations for paid services belong in the signed agreement; nothing here excludes rights or liabilities that cannot legally be excluded.

The Order Form or country addendum identifies governing law, courts or agreed dispute process. Mandatory consumer, education, privacy or other local protections continue to apply where they cannot be waived. Regional terms may differ to meet local law without changing the platform’s core data-protection principles.

14. Contact and notices

Legal questions or formal-notice routing can begin through the Wafercad contact form. Contract notices must use the addresses and method stated in the applicable agreement.