Whats the cost to create your own custom ASIC chip?
An FPGA would be my first choice. FPGA logic design requires specialized skills if done properly. This could be done for under $5000 for a prototype (parts and a circuit board) if you do the PCB layout and coding (i.e. coding costs zero). If you need to hire an FPGA coder, that could run USD 50k to 100k, perhaps more. Coding an FPGA is very different from coding a CPU since you are doing logic design.
If doing an ASIC, you need volume to make it worthwhile, perhaps quantities in the thousands. Full custom ASIC will probably cost you around USD &gt;1.0M for design, layout, and a few prototypes. Most likely, you would test the design out on an FPGA before committing to silicon.