Altair, a company known for its Silicon Debug Tools, has announced its acquisition of Metrics Design Automation, a Canadian company offering a simulation as a service (SaaS) business model for semiconductor electronic functional simulation and design verification. This merger will combine Metrics’ digital simulator, DSim, with Altair’s tools to create an advanced simulation environment with enhanced capabilities in the EDA and semiconductor space.
The cloud-based business model offered by Metrics has the potential to revolutionize the semiconductor industry by making high-quality EDA design tools more affordable and accessible for companies looking to accelerate design cycles. Currently, IC design verification comes with high licensing costs and requires a large number of seats to run simulations. These tools are usually run on desktop machines and are not cloud-native.
The Altair and Metrics solution provides flexibility by allowing users to run simulations as a desktop app, on their own server, or in the cloud. Customers only pay for what they use, making it a cost-effective option for running large regressions. The solution supports System Verilog and VHDL RTL for digital circuits targeting ASICs and FPGAs, allowing for concurrent and scalable simulations that save time and costs in the design cycle.
Altair’s founder and CEO, James R. Scapa, expressed excitement about the merger, stating that the combination of Altair’s software with Metrics’ cloud-based simulation technology will benefit EDA and semiconductor customers. Altair’s ability to merge simulation with workload and workflow optimization technology makes it a valuable partner for companies in this specialized industry. Customers now have a choice in design verification tools, thanks to this groundbreaking technology.
DSim, the digital simulator from Metrics, will be available through Altair One, the company’s cloud innovation gateway, as well as for desktop download. DSim is optimized for speed, capacity, and accuracy, providing customers with digital simulation, visualization, and circuit debug technology. This enables users to quickly identify design problems and move complex devices into production earlier and with more confidence.
Executive chairman of Metrics, Joe Costello, commented that joining Altair will allow the company to grow and offer engineers a modern, accurate, and scalable design verification solution. This acquisition will provide an alternative option for engineers looking for flexible and fast tools in the semiconductor industry.