Synopsys to acquire SpringSoft

Synopsys has signed a definitive agreement to acquire SpringSoft, the specialized IC design-software house based in Hsinchu, Taiwan with global offices in Cardiff, Wales, Florida and Seattle, USA, Hong Kong and Chandigarh, India. The SpringSoft acquisition supports Synopsys' strategy to deliver the advanced capabilities that will help semiconductor customers solve the toughest design challenges, including verification and custom implementation. Synopsys Taiwan will commence a tender offer to acquire all of the outstanding shares of SpringSoft for NT$57.00 (approximately US$1.90) per SpringSoft share in cash and acquire any remaining shares pursuant to a follow-on merger. The gross transaction value will be approximately US$406 million (NT$12.2 billion), or approximately US$305 million (NT$9.2 billion) net of cash acquired. The transaction, expected to close in the first quarter of fiscal 2013, is subject to the minimum tender of 51% of the current outstanding SpringSoft shares, approval of the follow-on merger by SpringSoft shareholders, regulatory approvals in Taiwan, and other customary closing conditions. Verification requirements have exploded as designs have become increasingly complex, and debugging is the most time-consuming part of verification, taking up nearly half of the design cycle. At the same time, custom implementation tools have not kept up with the dramatic improvements seen in digital design. The combination of SpringSoft and Synopsys' industry-leading verification technology portfolios will help accelerate delivery of a unified, powerful SoC debug environment so customers can continue to meet the demands of today's complex electronic designs. In addition, by integrating the physical design technology and teams from SpringSoft, Ciranova, and Magma, Synopsys can accelerate innovation and offer a higher level of automation in custom implementation tools. "This acquisition will increase Synopsys' investment in Taiwan by growing our local engineering expertise, technology development capabilities and customer support," said Chi-Foon Chan, president and co-CEO at Synopsys. "Combining SpringSoft's team and platform with Synopsys' complementary technology will help Synopsys lead further innovations in debug to more rapidly address the growing verification challenge. Simultaneously, SpringSoft's innovative custom-implementation software and its strong presence in leading Asian, European and U.S. semiconductor companies will help accelerate Synopsys' delivery of automation and innovation to an area of IC design that has been stagnant in the past." Synopsys Springsoft