Mask sets will still be required for each chip (to my knowledge), but they are significantly cheaper on older processes like 130nm. The process design kit (or

Mask sets will still be required for each chip (to my knowledge), but they are significantly cheaper on older processes like 130nm. The process design kit (or PDK) mentioned in the article takes care of "configuring the machiines". The PDK provides describes how to construct low-level primitives (the instruction set, if you will) for the specific fab. Designers then layer on their logic circuits using those primitives.