Comments on: Synopsys’ Digital to Analog Conversion http://theasicguy.com/2009/05/12/synopsys-digital-to-analog-conversion/ sharing insights into the people side of ASIC design Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:46:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.2 By: EDAgeek http://theasicguy.com/2009/05/12/synopsys-digital-to-analog-conversion/#comment-895 EDAgeek Mon, 18 May 2009 14:55:27 +0000 http://theasicguy.com/2009/05/12/synopsys-digital-to-analog-conversion/#comment-895 Aside of all the benefits stated, the ABG acquisition is very strategic. Cadence is the market leader is AMS flow. Synopsys has come up with an excellent AMS flow but it will still be hard to compete the hundreds of engineering years of maturity of Virtuoso across the variety of uses with many-many AMS circuits. The acquisition of ABG enhanced Synopsys with a diverse porfolio of AMS IP which will enable to (a) accelerate the maturity of the AMS flow offering, (b) provide complete solutions consisting of AMS flow + IP and (c) accelearte the experience curve on AMS design to make the solution more scalable overtime. Can't do that without owning AMS Flow + IP. Next on Synopsys' shopping cart should be memory IP and longer term processor IP. Aside of all the benefits stated, the ABG acquisition is very strategic. Cadence is the market leader is AMS flow. Synopsys has come up with an excellent AMS flow but it will still be hard to compete the hundreds of engineering years of maturity of Virtuoso across the variety of uses with many-many AMS circuits.

The acquisition of ABG enhanced Synopsys with a diverse porfolio of AMS IP which will enable to (a) accelerate the maturity of the AMS flow offering, (b) provide complete solutions consisting of AMS flow + IP and (c) accelearte the experience curve on AMS design to make the solution more scalable overtime. Can’t do that without owning AMS Flow + IP.

Next on Synopsys’ shopping cart should be memory IP and longer term processor IP.

]]> By: harry http://theasicguy.com/2009/05/12/synopsys-digital-to-analog-conversion/#comment-888 harry Thu, 14 May 2009 06:17:22 +0000 http://theasicguy.com/2009/05/12/synopsys-digital-to-analog-conversion/#comment-888 Hi Mike, Thanks for your comment. I value your opinion. However, I think I will disagree, but leave the door open to be proven wrong. As a former Program Manager in the Synopsys Professional Services organization, I can attest to the fact that the analog designers within the IP design group (Accelerant included) were hardly "available" to perform services. There were at least 2 consulting opportunities where a customer wanted a customized and tweaked IP where we had to "no bid" because the IP group was working on a higher leverage product. I need to add that I completely understand those decisions from a business perspective since the IP designers' time was better spent designing IP that could be sold and resold vs. sold once. The other issue of supporting a custom IP was also a roadblock. Synopsys services has toyed with doing AMS design services in the past, but never had the right tools or people in house. With Custom Designer I think they have a workable tool and they now have the designers. Whether those designers will be dedicated to new product development or available for services, I do not know. But at least that door is open. As for CDNS, I think their services AMS design group is currently doing quite well. They have some good people ... but I also know some better people. Cheers, Harry Hi Mike,

Thanks for your comment. I value your opinion. However, I think I will disagree, but leave the door open to be proven wrong.

As a former Program Manager in the Synopsys Professional Services organization, I can attest to the fact that the analog designers within the IP design group (Accelerant included) were hardly “available” to perform services. There were at least 2 consulting opportunities where a customer wanted a customized and tweaked IP where we had to “no bid” because the IP group was working on a higher leverage product. I need to add that I completely understand those decisions from a business perspective since the IP designers’ time was better spent designing IP that could be sold and resold vs. sold once. The other issue of supporting a custom IP was also a roadblock.

Synopsys services has toyed with doing AMS design services in the past, but never had the right tools or people in house. With Custom Designer I think they have a workable tool and they now have the designers. Whether those designers will be dedicated to new product development or available for services, I do not know. But at least that door is open.

As for CDNS, I think their services AMS design group is currently doing quite well. They have some good people … but I also know some better people.

Cheers,

Harry

]]> By: Mike Demler http://theasicguy.com/2009/05/12/synopsys-digital-to-analog-conversion/#comment-886 Mike Demler Wed, 13 May 2009 22:47:54 +0000 http://theasicguy.com/2009/05/12/synopsys-digital-to-analog-conversion/#comment-886 Harry, SNPS already had analog design teams in Oregon from the Accelerant acquisitions. ChipIdea is based in Portugal, so I don't think that services is in the plan. Do you really think SNPS coveted that? Wasn't a money maker for CDNS, and puts an EDA company more in competition with their customers. I think that the biggest element in the acquisition was ability to add HDMI to the interface catalog. Harry,

SNPS already had analog design teams in Oregon from the Accelerant acquisitions. ChipIdea is based in Portugal, so I don’t think that services is in the plan. Do you really think SNPS coveted that? Wasn’t a money maker for CDNS, and puts an EDA company more in competition with their customers.

I think that the biggest element in the acquisition was ability to add HDMI to the interface catalog.

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