SpringSoft Completes Merger with Novas, Acquires More Technology and Channel Companies

- SpringSoft Incorporated, the largest EDA company in Asia and the first to be publicly traded (2473.TW), today announced the completion of its merger with Novas Software, Inc., the acquisition of four additional EDA companies, and several key management appointments. These strategic moves expand SpringSoft’s ability to serve its customers around the globe and to offer additional specialized automation solutions that address critical pain points in the development of complex digital, analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits (ICs), application-specific ICs (ASICs), microprocessors, and systems-on chip (SoCs).

In addition to the merger with Novas, SpringSoft has completed acquisitions of Fortelink, a developer of hardware-assisted verification technology; Nanovata, which has developed advanced IC routing technology; and Silicon Canvas, provider of the Laker line of custom IC design solutions. SpringSoft is also in the process of acquiring its distribution partner Novaflow KK, distributor of the Novas, Silicon Canvas, and Fortelink products in Japan. Novaflow will become SpringSoft KK and exclusively sell and service the SpringSoft product line.

SpringSoft’s aggregation of unique automation technologies, consolidation of its worldwide support channel, and its strong financial standing enhance the company’s ability to deliver specialized EDA solutions with top-rated customer service to engineers around the globe. The combined enterprise, which has a $200M market capitalization and more than 400 employees, serves more than 400 customers, including the leading semiconductor companies in every region of the world.

Leading the SpringSoft management team are Martin Lu, who continues as Chairman and CEO, and Johnson Teng, who continues as Chief Operating Officer. Yu-Chin Hsu, formerly Vice President of R&D at Novas, is now Vice President of R&D for Verification Technology for SpringSoft, and Jeong-Tyng Li, previously Founder and President of Nanovata, is Vice President of R&D for Physical Design Technology. Former Novas executives, Scott Sandler, Bill Shepard, and Oz Levia have been appointed to executive posts with worldwide responsibilities that span the company’s entire product portfolio. Sandler is Vice President of Corporate Marketing and President of SpringSoft USA; Shepard is now Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Support, while Levia is Vice President of Product Marketing.

“We see a tremendous opportunity to create a differentiated EDA supplier focused on addressing the tough spots in IC design with specialized technology and world-class support,” said Martin Lu, chairman and CEO of SpringSoft. “The addition of technology components from Fortelink and Nanovata complement our core strengths in verification enhancement and custom IC design. The combination of the Novas, Silicon Canvas, and Novaflow sales channels create one of the most capable EDA sales and support channels in the world. And our ‘dual core’ operation with headquarters in Taiwan and the U.S., uniquely positions SpringSoft to address the fastest growing IC design markets around the globe.”

SpringSoft’s product strategy is to deliver specialized automation technologies that help engineers produce better results in less time as they design and verify complex chips and systems. Its expanded portfolio now includes the Novas verification enhancement solutions (Debussy™, Verdi™, and Siloti™ products), as well as the Laker custom IC design solutions. These products, in wide production use today, are known for their application of controllable automation techniques that let engineers avoid tedious, error-prone tasks and focus instead on value-adding activities. SpringSoft intends to continue developing and harnessing the potential of other innovative technologies, such as those introduced by Fortelink and Nanovata.

The effectiveness of SpringSoft’s products is further optimized by interoperability with the most comprehensive ecosystem of third-party design and verification tools, as well as the company’s ongoing commitment to standards, such as SystemVerilog, Open Access, and the new IPL Alliance for interoperable process design kits (PDKs). This ensures that SpringSoft users can efficiently deploy best-of-breed tools throughout their design and verification flows. In addition, the SpringSoft offerings are now backed by an integrated, global support team chartered with providing the highest quality service and unmatched responsiveness, leveraging Novas’ experience and industry-recognized strength in this area. (Novas was ranked as #1 in EDA customer satisfaction for five consecutive years by CMP’s EETimes user surveys.)

About SpringSoft

SpringSoft is a global supplier of specialized automation technologies that accelerate engineers during the design, verification and debug of complex digital, analog and mixed-signal ICs, ASICs, microprocessors, and SoCs. Its award-winning product portfolio features the Novas verification enhancement and Laker custom IC design solutions used by more than 400 of today's leading IDM and fabless semiconductor companies, foundries, and electronic systems OEMs. Headquartered in Hsinchu, Taiwan, and San Jose, California, SpringSoft is the largest, first publicly traded EDA company in Asia (2473.tw) and a recognized industry leader in customer service with more than 400 employees located in multiple R&D sites and local support offices around the world. For more information, visit www.springsoft.com.