Synopsys agrees to offer chip design tools through EuroCDP

Startups, small and medium-sized enterprises and research teams in Europe will gain access to Synopsys electronic design automation software under a new agreement with the European Chips Joint Undertaking. The arrangement is linked to the European Chips Act and runs through the European Chips Design Platform, known as EuroCDP.

The arrangement adds Synopsys design tools to a platform that already offers IP, training, funding and prototyping support. The companies link the agreement to Europe's strategic goals in areas such as AI and high-performance computing (HPC). It is described as a simpler entry point for advanced chip innovation.

Support covers Level 1 and Level 2 of the EuroCDP program, so participants can use the tools from early-stage ventures through pre-production. The offering includes full digital front-end and back-end flows for advanced AI and HPC SoC designs on leading-edge process technologies, photonic integrated circuit (PIC) flows, and analog/mixed-signal (AMS) flows for industrial, automotive and connectivity applications.

Axelera AI used a range of Synopsys digital design, implementation and verification technologies to develop its Metis and Europa AI Processing Units (AIPUs). Advanced power-integrity technology from Ansys, now part of Synopsys, complemented those tools and helped the company optimize power delivery, performance and energy efficiency. Synopsys has also worked with other emerging semiconductor companies in Europe, including Openchip and SiPearl.

“Europe's next generation of semiconductor innovation will come from organizations of many different sizes, not only established chip companies,” said Jari Kinaret, Executive Director of the Chips Joint Undertaking. Antonio Varas, Chief Strategy Officer at Synopsys, said, “Europe has a strong foundation of world-class semiconductor research and entrepreneurial talent.”

Giuseppe Garcea, Director of Strategic Procurement & Founding Team Member at Axelera AI, said, “giving emerging companies access to advanced design technologies and expertise is critical to turning that potential into successful products.” Synopsys' forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied.