Acquisition positions Ansys to do simulation of ICs and PCBs with low-power focus and exploration.
By Ed Sperling
Ansys plans to acquire Apache Design Solutions, rounding out its lineup of simulation software with expertise in low-power analysis.
Ansys will pay $310 million in cash, which includes $29 million in cash that Apache already has on its books. The timing is particularly interesting because Apache announced its plans to go public with a $75 million IPO in March. The last company to go public in EDA was Magma in 2001.
The move is an interesting extension of Ansys’ capabilities, and a sign of just how important power and thermal issues have become in SoC and PCB design. Ansys’ current lineup focuses on simulation software for analysis of ICs, packaging and PCBs.
Ansys bought Ansoft, which made simulation software, in 2008 for $832 million. It also bought another simulation software maker, Century Dynamics, in 2005, for $5 million, as well as Harvard Thermal and Fluent.
Ansys is based just outside of Pittsburgh, Pa. and was founded by John Swanson and originally named Swanson Analysis Systems. Swanson’s focus was on finite element analysis.
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