[News] China’s EDA Firm Empyrean Commits RMB 100M to Investment Fund, Takes 7.78% Stake in S2C

As part of its semiconductor self-reliance strategy, China has been intensifying efforts to strengthen its domestic EDA sector. According to ijiwei, the country’s leading EDA provider, Empyrean, announced a major investment move: together with Guangdong Hengqin Yueao Deep Cooperation Zhongjiwan Enterprise Management and the China Binhai New Area Venture Capital Guiding Fund, it co-established Tianjin Zhongwan Xinsheng Management Consulting Partnership.

As the report notes, the fund—Tianjin Zhongwan Xinsheng—has a total committed capital of RMB 110.01 million, of which Empyrean contributed RMB 100 million, giving it a 90.9008% partnership stake. Empyrean stated that the investment is intended to support its strategic development needs and further deepen its investment strategy in the EDA sector.

Through this entity, Empyrean has already completed a strategic investment. As EE Times China notes, the entity acquired approximately 7.78% of S2C’s shares and completed the related share transfer. The move further deepened Empyrean’s presence in the EDA sector, marking a significant step forward—particularly in digital front-end EDA tools.

Empyrean Expands Digital Front-End EDA Through S2C Investment

As EE Times China states, S2C is one of the world’s first three companies to launch prototype verification tools and the developer of China’s first enterprise-grade hardware emulation system, giving it deep technical expertise and significant market influence in digital front-end EDA tools. It adds that Empyrean’s investment in S2C is intended to leverage complementary technologies to address gaps in its digital EDA platform and achieve full end-to-end coverage.

Digital simulation and verification tools are a critical component of the EDA toolchain, directly affecting chip stability and reliability and serving as a key foundation for advanced chip design, ijiwei notes. It adds that S2C has been deeply engaged in this field for 21 years.

In addition, according to ijiwei, the investment is expected to support Empyrean’s business expansion. The report notes that strengthening its verification toolchain will help the company broaden its customer base and move into markets for advanced chips such as high-end CPUs, AI chips, and GPUs.

Read more

• [News] Chinese EDA Consolidation Falters as Empyrean Drops Xpeedic Acquisition
• [News] Empyrean Reportedly Unveils China’s First Full-Process EDA Platform for Memory Chip Production

(Photo credit: Empyrean)