[News] China’s UniVista Reportedly Offers Free EDA Trials as U.S. Tightens Curbs on Synopsys and Others

As the U.S. tightens chip export rules, pressing Synopsys, Cadence, and Siemens to halt EDA support in China without approval, Chinese firms are pushing back. Shanghai-based UniVista Industrial Software has announced free trials of its key EDA tools for domestic users, according to ijiwei and China Daily.

The reports say UniVista is now offering free trials for a lineup of key tools spanning digital verification, DFT, and system-level design. Highlights include China’s first high-end PCB design platform UniVista Archer, and UniVista Tespert, a comprehensive domestic platform covering the full design-for-test (DFT) flow, including BSCAN, MBIST, ATPG, DIAG, and YIELD.

UniVista’s Background

Though less known than peers like Empyrean and Primarius, UniVista—founded in 2020—has quickly made waves. According to QQNews, it has raised nearly RMB 4 billion, including a record-setting RMB 1.7 billion founding round backed by top state funds like the China National IC Fund (Phase II) and China Internet Investment Fund.

With over 200 clients, including top Chinese chipmakers, UniVista claims that it brings proven expertise in handling complex, large-scale digital chip designs, ijiwei and China Daily suggest.

Huawei’s Strategic Push amid China’s Booming EDA Demand

Notably, as suggested by QQNews, China accounted for 10% of the global EDA market in 2023, with a market size of RMB 12 billion. Citing information by the China Semiconductor Industry Association, the report expects that by 2025, that share is expected to grow to 18.1%, reaching nearly RMB 18.5 billion.

Riding this momentum, Chinese tech giant Huawei is ramping up its domestic chip efforts with a focus on EDA development even before the latest wave of U.S. curbs. According to QQNews, in March 2023, the company announced it had successfully localized EDA tools for 14nm and above, with full validation completed.

The report notes that through its affiliates Hubble and Shenzhen Hubble, Huawei has invested in over 70 Chinese semiconductor companies—including several EDA firms like Arcas Technologies, NineCube, Flytrum and more.

Read more

• [News] China Revenue at Risk as U.S. Curbs Slam EDA Giants: Impact on Synopsys, Cadence and More
• [News] US Rumored to Order EDA Giants to Halt Support in China, Jeopardizing Local 3–7nm Development

(Photo credit: UniVista)