Synopsys Integration Challenges with SpringSoft Acquisition

Another week in EDA and yet another acquisition by Synopsys as they buy SpringSoft this time for $406 million in cash. Paul McLellan wrote a good blog on this merger too.

Last week I blogged about the product overlap and integration challenges that Synopsys faces with the acquisition of Ciranova.



Let's take a look at the IC entry and layout products from SpringSoft and how they fit into the tools that Synopsys already owns:

EDA Techn​ology	Synopsys	Ciranova	Magma	SpringSoft
Schematic Capture	Custom Designer SE	Pyros Viewer	Schematic Editor, Titan Virtual Prototype	Laker Schematic Editor
Simulation Console	Custom Designer Simulation and Analysis Environment		Titan Analog Simulation Environment	Simulation Console
IC Layout	Custom Designer LE	Helix	Layout Editor	Laker Custom Layout Automation System
Schematic Driven Layout	Customer Designer SDL	Helix	Schematic Driven Layout	Laker Custom Layout Automation System
Design Rule Driven	SmartDRD	Helix		Laker Custom Layout Automation System
Routing	Custom Designer LE		Titan Shape Based Router	Laker Custom Layout Automation System Laker Custom Digital Router
Analog IP		PyCell	Titan FlexCell	MCell
Circuit Optimization			Titan Analog Design Accelerator
Cell Migration		Helix	Titan Analog Layout Accelerator
LDE Optimization		Helix LDE Opt		Laker Analog Prototyping
Chip Finishing				Laker Blitz
Test Chip				Laker Automated Test Chip Development Platform
Database	OpenAccess	OpenAccess	OpenAccess	OpenAccess
Pcells	Python, C++	Python	Python	MCell
Scripting	TCL	Python	TCL	TCL
iPDK Support	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

All four sets of EDA tools do use the common OpenAccess database, so that gives a foundation to build upon however the GUI is distinct for all sets of tools and the GUI is what engineers see and use every day. Synopsys can either converge on a unified GUI, or continue to sell distinct-looking EDA tools which means higher support costs and longer learning curves for customers.

The position that Synopsys is in today reminds me of when Cadence previously acquired multiple EDA point-tool companies then spent years before they could actually integrate all of that great technology into something unified for users.

Looking at the product table comparison I see much product overlap and from a business viewpoint it makes sense to consolidate the product lines instead of keeping them all alive.

SpringSoft with the Laker schematics and layout probably has more seats than Synopsys Customer Designer, however Synopsys is the larger company, so it's not clear which tool wins and which one dies or is merged. As a customer of Synopsys or Springsoft tools I would be very eager to know what the product roadmap is going to be, and if my favorite and productive tools are going to be orphaned, supported, maintained, swapped out, discontinued or merged.

SpringSoft also offers functional closure tools and prototype verification, so let's compare them:

EDA Technology	Synopsys	SpringSoft
Visibility Automation	Discovery Visualization Environment	Siloti
Debug Automation	Discovery Visualization Environment	Verdi
Functional Automation	VCS (integrated)	Certitude
Prototype Verification	Identify RTL Debugger	ProtoLink Probe Visualizer

Verdi has a strong following, so it may make sense to replace DVE with Verdi to the installed based of Synopsys users.

Summary
I love to root for the underdog in EDA, so I'm feeling a little sad that SpringSoft has been acquired by Synopsys. On the bright side the SpringSoft tools are now part of the number one EDA company so they could enjoy a longer life and broader market appeal, especially after we learn about the new product roadmap.

A Brief History of EDA