CSMC Technologies Corporation Adopts Synopsys Proteus OPC Platform

Complete Platform and Strong Support Enable CSMC to Deliver Sub-180-nanometer Foundry Offerings Faster

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Feb. 22, 2016 -- Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNPS), today announced adoption of its Proteus^™ Optical Proximity Correction (OPC) platform by CSMC Technologies Corporation, a China-based foundry offering logic, analog and mixed signal flows, based on its comprehensiveness and excellent local support. Synopsys Proteus is the primary OPC solution for CSMC's newest sub-180-nanometer technologies. In addition, CSMC will benefit from the ability to control time-to-market using Proteus' highly-scalable platform.

"In order to meet the demands of the burgeoning China semiconductor market, it is vital that CSMC delivers new process technologies in a timely and reliable manner," said Wesley Chang, CSMC director of Design Service Center. "Choosing the complete Proteus platform, along with the great support of the local Synopsys OPC team, helped us to deliver 153-nanometer on an aggressive schedule."

CSMC Technology Corporation, a subsidiary of the China Resources Microelectronics Limited, is pioneering the open foundry business model in China. CSMC currently offers a broad range of adaptable CMOS specialty processes that are supported by their 6-inch and 8-inch foundry facilities located in China. Since China is one of the fastest growing emerging markets for the semiconductor industry, CSMC's role to support China's fabless houses is also growing.

The Proteus platform includes the traditional OPC, lithography rule check (LRC), and rule-base assist features (RBAF). The Proteus platform is pipelined and highly scalable to thousands of cores, resulting in efficient time-to-market control. Proteus is also pipelined with Synopsys' CATS^® mask write and mask inspections products, resulting in near-zero overhead for the mask data preparation (MDC) steps. Proteus and CATS tools provide the fastest path from GDS to mask while reducing cost of ownership.

"Synopsys has invested heavily in our Proteus OPC platform and support team in China to meet the needs of foundries like CSMC," said Howard Ko, senior vice president and general manager of the Silicon Engineering Group at Synopsys. "We are very pleased that CSMC was able to accelerate delivery of their 153-nanometer technology with help from Synopsys, and we look forward to working with CSMC on future processes."

About Synopsys

Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNPS) is the Silicon to Software^™ partner for innovative companies developing the electronic products and software applications we rely on every day. As the world's 16^th largest software company, Synopsys has a long history of being a global leader in electronic design automation (EDA) and semiconductor IP and is also growing its leadership in software quality and security solutions. Whether you're a system-on-chip (SoC) designer creating advanced semiconductors, or a software developer writing applications that require the highest quality and security, Synopsys has the solutions needed to deliver innovative, high-quality, secure products. Learn more at www.synopsys.com.