TapeFoundry
The drawings
Eleven arithmetic circuits. Each row is a real netlist with a fixed gate count, an input/output width, and a cap.
Every drawing is published before it goes on sale. The netlist is the artifact: a flat list of NAND gates, each with two inputs. The gate count is not an estimate — it is the length of that list.
| Drawing | Function | In | Out | Gates | Cap | Id |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MUL12 | 12×12 multiplier — multiplies two 12-bit numbers | 24 | 24 | 2,118 | 50 | 0 |
| ALU16 | 16-bit ALU — eight operations on 16-bit words | 35 | 16 | 1,196 | 700 | 1 |
| DIV8 | 8-bit divider — quotient and remainder of 8-bit division | 16 | 16 | 976 | 700 | 2 |
| MUL8 | 8×8 multiplier — multiplies two 8-bit numbers | 16 | 16 | 916 | 700 | 3 |
| CMP64 | 64-bit comparator — equal / greater / less for 64-bit words | 128 | 3 | 842 | 700 | 4 |
| CMP4 | 4-bit comparator — equal / greater / less for 4-bit words | 8 | 3 | 62 | 100 | 7 |
| EQ8 | 8-bit equality — 1 when two 8-bit words match | 16 | 1 | 58 | 100 | 10 |
| SUB4 | 4-bit subtractor — difference and borrow | 8 | 5 | 51 | 100 | 6 |
| ADD4 | 4-bit adder — adds two 4-bit numbers with carry | 9 | 5 | 46 | 100 | 5 |
| MUL2 | 2×2 multiplier — multiplies two 2-bit numbers | 4 | 4 | 43 | 100 | 8 |
| SHIFT4 | 4-bit shifter — shifts a 4-bit word by 0–3 | 6 | 4 | 40 | 100 | 9 |
Totals: 3,450 cards · 2,886,900 gates at cap.
See all eleven at true scale → — one square per gate, every drawing drawn at the same size.
Why these eleven
They are the arithmetic core of a processor: addition, subtraction, comparison, shifting, multiplication, division. Series 01 is the first stage of a machine, so the set is a parts list rather than a theme.
Reading a row
Take ADD4: 9 inputs, 5 outputs, 46 gates, 100 editions. Nine inputs because it takes two 4-bit words plus a carry-in; five outputs because it returns a 4-bit sum plus a carry-out. 46 gates is the cost of that function in NAND. One hundred editions means 4,600 gates will be destroyed if it sells out.
The three size classes
| Class | Drawings | Cap each | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flagship | MUL12 | 50 | The largest circuit in the set, and the smallest supply. |
| Main | ALU16, DIV8, MUL8, CMP64 | 700 | The circuits a CPU spends its time in. |
| Entry | CMP4, EQ8, SUB4, ADD4, MUL2, SHIFT4 | 100 | Small, cheap, and complete on their own. |
Drawing ids
The registry identifies a drawing by a small integer, not by its name. That id is stamped into an edition, and it is what the wrapper reads when it builds token metadata. The mapping is in the table above.