Why Synopsys (SNPS) Is Buying Semiconductor Analytics Company Qualtera

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jun 12, 2020
  • Synopsys, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNPS) announced recently that it is buying Qualtera, which is a fast-growing provider of collaborative high-performance big data analytics for semiconductor test and manufacturing. These are the details.

Synopsys, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNPS) announced recently that it is buying Qualtera, which is a fast-growing provider of collaborative high-performance big data analytics for semiconductor test and manufacturing. And Qualtera’s advanced analytics technology, combined with the Synopsys Yield Explorer design-centric yield management solution and Synopsys TestMAX test automation solution provides the foundation for improving the process of using silicon measurements to guide improvements throughout a device’s development and manufacturing lifecycle. Plus this unique combination enables a post-silicon optimization solution that is key to maximizing efficiencies from design all the way to device shipment. The terms of the deal were undisclosed.

What does Synopsys do? Synopsys is the Silicon to Software partner for innovative companies developing the electronic products and software applications companies rely on every day. And as the world’s 15th largest software company, Synopsys has a long history of being a global leader in electronic design automation (EDA) and semiconductor IP. Plus it is also growing its leadership in software security and quality solutions.

Early in device lifecycles, the analysis of silicon data enables improvements in design modeling parameters to be used in subsequent design iterations or in future designs in the same technology node. Later in the lifecycles, analytics correlating design information with detailed test result data can be used for improving product yield ramps during manufacturing. And the Synopsys Yield Explorer solution enables the identification of systematic yield limiters due to interactions between the manufacturing process and physical design characteristics. Using the strengths of Yield Explorer with Qualtera’s high-performance analytics enables faster results and the ability to analyze larger volumes of data for even greater accuracy.

Analytics are able to drive significant improvements on the production test floor. And intelligent analysis of manufacturing and test data can drive specific actions to increase the efficiency of the test process.

Qualtera’s analytics and production control capabilities complements Synopsys’ industry-leading TestMAX test automation family. And combining these solutions enable the application of more efficient tests and more accurate failure screening thus helping customers achieve the lowest possible test costs while also ensuring the highest possible shipped product quality.

“Maximizing our customers’ success in highly competitive industries requires that both the pre-silicon and post-silicon phases of the silicon lifecycle are fully optimized, and our goal is to provide an end-to-end solution to make it more achievable for our customers,” said Sassine Ghazi, general manager, Design Group at Synopsys. “Synopsys’ acquisition of Qualtera underscores our commitment to deliver post-silicon optimization solutions that address the evolving needs of the dynamic semiconductor industry.”