rtg com

November 2, 2025

What is RTG Inc.

RTG Inc. is a U.S.-based company (or at least with U.S. roots) that designs and manufactures specialized integrated circuits (ICs) and related semiconductor devices. Their website says they have 25+ years of experience delivering customer-specific products. (rtg.com)
In short, they’re a custom / semi-custom chip house — not your typical off-the-shelf consumer electronics brand.

Why they matter

In the semiconductor / electronics supply chain, companies like RTG fill an important niche: producing customer-specific ICs or modules when off-the-shelf parts won’t do. That means they help other companies build unique hardware or features that differentiate.
For businesses designing hardware (say instrumentation, industrial controls, specialty devices) – having access to custom IC design/manufacture means you can optimize size, power use, cost, form-factor.
Considering how critical integrated circuits are to everything from consumer electronics to automotive / industrial / IoT, these kinds of firms are key enablers.

What they do / services offered

From their website:

Design and manufacture of specialized ICs (integrated circuits). (rtg.com)
They emphasize “customer specific products” — meaning they work with clients to define parts tailored to their needs rather than just selling standard components.
Their experience of 25+ years suggests they have a track record in this niche. (rtg.com)
While the website doesn’t (in the snippet) list every service (e.g., full system-on-chip, analog/digital mixed signal, packaging, testing), typical of this domain you might expect services like: architecture, layout, fabrication partner liaison, testing/verification, packaging and maybe low volume manufacture.

When / where it’s relevant to you

If you are:

Designing hardware and need a component that doesn’t exist commercially (or existing ones are too generic) → you might engage a custom IC firm like RTG.
Working on an industrial/embedded product where cost or size or power is critical and off-the-shelf parts are sub‐optimal → such a partner could help.
Operating in a sector (e.g., telecom, medical devices, industrial controls, aerospace) where standard components may not meet regulatory or environmental requirements, and custom ICs can provide differentiation.
On the other hand, if you are just buying commodity electronics (microcontrollers, sensors, consumer chips) then maybe you don’t need a specialist like RTG.

Common mistakes / pitfalls

Underestimating cost / time: Custom IC design and manufacture is not cheap compared to buying standard parts. Lead-times, verification, testing add up. If you treat it like an off-the-shelf buy, you’ll be disappointed.
Scope creep: Because you’re defining something custom, it’s easy to keep adding features or changing specs, which can cause budget/schedule overruns.
Assuming perfect performance: Custom doesn’t automatically mean perfect. You still must validate, test thoroughly. Some issues (thermal, packaging, yield) can bite you.
Not planning for volume / support: For some custom parts, volume may be limited and support for future revisions or re-spin may be more costly or slow.
Ignoring supply chain / fab risk: The manufacture of ICs depends on foundries, packaging, test houses. Relying on a custom part ties your product’s fate to those supply-chain elements.
Over-customizing when standard may suffice: Some teams go custom when a standard component would have been adequate. That can waste time and resources.

What happens if you don’t do it right

You may end up with a delayed product launch because your custom IC is late or fails testing.
Cost overruns can kill profit margins.
You may end up with an IC that doesn’t meet required performance (e.g., power, thermal, function) and need a re-spin, further delaying and increasing cost.
If you’re heavily reliant on one custom component and that becomes a single point of failure (manufacturing yield is low, support drops) then your whole product suffers.
In regulated sectors, a poorly validated custom IC may raise compliance/regulatory risks.

How to evaluate a company like RTG

If you’re considering working with RTG Inc (or similar), check:

Their track record: What previous designs/custom chips they’ve done, and what sectors.
Their design/manufacture ecosystem: Which foundry partners they work with, packaging/test capability, yield history.
Clear costing and schedule: Custom work needs detailed planning.
Support for revisions: If your product evolves, can they support IC changes?
Documentation and verification: You’ll need good quality assurance, documentation (especially if you’re in regulated sector).
Risk mitigation: What happens if the part fails in the field, what supply chain contingencies exist?
Volume vs cost trade-off: Are you doing enough volume to justify custom chip vs standard parts?

Summary / final take

RTG Inc. (via rtg.com) is a specialist custom integrated circuit design/manufacture company. If you’re working on hardware that demands a tailored chip — for size, power, differentiation — then a partner like RTG has relevance. But custom ICs come with complexity: cost, time, risk. If you don’t plan properly, you may run into delays or extra cost. If you’re just buying standard components, you probably don’t need this level of service.

FAQ

Q: Is RTG Inc a consumer electronics brand?
A: No — it’s not a consumer brand selling finished devices. It’s a business‐to‐business chip design/manufacture company.

Q: Can I buy small quantity custom chips from them?
A: Possibly — but custom ICs usually make sense when you have a defined product and volume sufficient to justify the effort. They are not the same as off-the-shelf components.

Q: How long does it take to develop a custom chip with such a company?
A: Times vary widely depending on complexity. Could be several months to a year or more, including spec definition, design, layout, verification, test, packaging, and production ramp.

Q: What are typical costs?
A: Hard to generalize. Costs depend on complexity, volume, packaging, foundry used, yields, support needs. It can be significantly more expensive than using standard components.

Q: What if my product is low volume? Should I still go custom?
A: Maybe not. If your volume is very low and standard components suffice, custom may not be cost-effective. You might still go semi-custom or use programmable parts (e.g., FPGAs) instead.

Q: What happens if I choose a custom chip and it fails? Who is responsible?
A: That depends on your contract with the company (RTG or others). You’ll want to ensure clear responsibilities, warranties, support for failures, and possibly fallback options.