Siemens strengthens IC market commitment with acquisition of SolidoDesign Automation

By Niraj M Wanikar, Chief Editor, CNCTimes.com, 2017-11-28 11:19:00

• Siemens to acquire the leading provider of machine learning-based,variation-aware design and characterization software,growing its commitment to Mentor’s integrated circuit (IC) design and verification technology
• Siemens continues to build upon its digitalization strategy and to expand its software business in North America and Canada.

Siemens has entered into an agreement to acquire Saskatoon, Canada-based SolidoDesign Automation Inc., a leading provider of variation-aware design and characterization software to semiconductor companies worldwide. Solido‘s machine learning-based products are currently used in production at over 40 major companies, enabling them to design, verify, and manufacture more competitive products than ever before. The acquisition of Solidofurther expands Mentor’s analog/mixed-signal (AMS) verification portfolio to help customers address the growing challenges of IC design and verification for automotive, communications, data-center computing, networking, mobile, and IoT applications. The terms of the transaction are not disclosed. Siemens expects to close the transaction in early December 2017.

“With the acquisition of Mentor we made a large commitment to EDA,” said Tony Hemmelgarn, president and CEO of Siemens PLM Software. “This new acquisition of Solidostrengthens that presence and demonstrates our commitment to serving our customers in the IC industry.”

“Solidohas become an invaluable partner helping our customers address the impact of variability to improve IC performance, power, area, and yield,” said Amit Gupta, founder, president and CEO of SolidoDesign Automation. “Combining ourtechnology portfoliowith Mentor’s outstanding IC capabilities and market reach will allow us to provide world-class solutions to the semiconductor industry on an even larger scale. We are also excited to contribute to Siemens’ broader digitalization strategy with our applied machine learning for engineering technology portfolio and expertise.”

Variation-aware design and characterization has become fundamental in developing modern semiconductor products with the best possible power, performance, and cost. When analog, mixed-signal, memory, and standard cell circuits are designed for today’s complex applications, the verification software needs to deliver very high confidence in the simulation results while avoiding time- and resource-intensive analysis methods. Solido‘s proprietary machinelearning-based variation-aware design and characterization software is proven to deliver the required confidence while significantly reducing time and resources and delivering unrivaled data visualization.

“The combination of Solidoand Mentor’s leading analog-mixed-signal circuit verification products creates the industry’s most powerful portfolio of solutions for addressing today’s IC circuit verification challenges,” said Ravi Subramanian, vice president and general manager of Mentor’s IC verification solutions division. “Solido joins Mentor at an exciting time. Having a power house like Siemens entering EDA is proving to be a true game changer for us.”

Siemens PLM Software, a business unit of the Siemens Digital Factory Division, is a leading global provider of software solutions to drive the digital transformation of industry, creating new opportunities for manufacturers to realize innovation. With headquarters in Plano, Texas, and over 140,000 customers worldwide, Siemens PLM Software works with companies of all sizes to transform the way ideas come to life, the way products are realized, and the way products and assets in operation are used and understood.  For more information on Siemens PLM Software products and services, visit www.siemens.com/plm.

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