Keysight Technologies plans to pick up Synopsys’ optical design and analysis software tools, an acquisition that Keysight says will broaden its design engineering software portfolio and computer-aided engineering capabilities.
Synopsys is in the process of a pending $35 billion acquisition of microchip software design company Ansys, which is drawing significant global scrutiny for potentially consolidating too much control over chip design software. Synopsys has indicated that it believes that divesting its OSG unit is a “necessary step towards obtaining regulatory approval of and successfully closing Synopsys’ proposed acquisition of Ansys.”
The transaction with Keysight, then, hinges not only on the usual regulatory review but also the successful closing of Synopsys’ proposed acquisition of Ansys, which is expected to come in the first half of next year. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed; Synopsys said in an SEC filing that the divesting of OSG will not be material to its financials.
Synopsys described its OSG’s design capabilities as encompassing light propagation for highly accurate optical product simulations and visualizations, including design of imaging systems, automotive lighting design and photonic device tools. Keysight said in a release that OSG will bring to it “a suite of software solutions for optical systems design, analysis, simulation, and virtual prototyping, as well as a seasoned team with deep industry expertise.”
It added: “With the acquisition of this complementary business, Keysight will broaden its design engineering software portfolio and build on its core positions in radio frequency /microwave electronic design automation and physics-based computer-aided engineering capabilities.”
“Given the increasing complexity of electronics design, Keysight is excited to expand its software simulation portfolio with the acquisition of Synopsys’ Optical Solutions Group. This acquisition will give us the capabilities to enable high-performance system use cases beyond electronics, including optics and photonics. We look forward to welcoming the business’ employees to Keysight when the transaction closes and working with them to address customers’ critical design challenges requiring multi-physics simulations to predict product performance,” said Niels Faché, VP and GM of Keysight’s Design Engineering Software.
In other test news:
–Rohde & Schwarz’s equipment is supporting a tunable, photonics-based terahertz experimental 6G system as part of the 6G-ADLANTIK project demonstrated at European Microwave Week going on this week in Paris.
-Also at European Microwave Week, millimeter-wave expert Tymtek is presenting a 5G Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS) demonstration, in partnership with Anritsu, at Tymtek’s booth. Tymtek’s RIS comes in both a 28 GHz model and a 4.7 GHz model.
-Cellular infrastructure provider SOLiD said that its Open RAN radio units are part of the interoperability testing effort that is being enabled by Viavi Solutions’ Automated Lab-as-a-Service for Open RAN, or VALOR.
VALOR received a $21.7 million grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund (PWSCIF), as part of the U.S. government’s efforts to support the development of an Open RAN ecosystem.
-In tangential telecom efforts around increased network openness, this week Harmonic touted its virtualized core software for optical networks and its work with multiple optical network units (ONU) vendors to support Open ONUs and increased interoperability with optical line terminals (OLT) for fiber broadband deployment. The company recently expanded its interoperabilty testing facilities.
“The push to standardize interactions between OLT and ONU manufacturers is reshaping the economic dynamics of fiber-to-the-home deployment,” said Dan Gledhill, SVP of broadband fiber at Harmonic. “With the ability to select their preferred OLT and ONU providers, operators can eliminate vendor lock-in and drive down deployment costs. By expanding our qualification and testing centers, we can ensure a seamless experience for operators and foster a robust, diversified supplier ecosystem.”
–ATX Networks said that Charter Communications has certified ATX’s 1.8 GHz-capable Hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) amplifiers and nodes for deployment in Charter’s network, as Charter aims to expand delivery of gigabit symmetrical broadband speeds.
-ICYMI: The advent of generative AI and associated increased computing power has sparked new interest in how AI might be put to work within the telecom network. Operators expect to see benefits that include expanded automation across network planning and operations, as well as new paths to monetization. RCR Wireless News reached out to Keysight Technologies for its perspective on the impact of AI in the network testing and assurance realm. Read that Q&A here.
–
