Synopsys CEO Sassine Ghazi Unveils Vision After $35-Billion Ansys Acquisition and Nvidia Investment
In Bengaluru, Synopsys CEO Sassine Ghazi, alongside chairman Aart de Geus and six executive team members, marked a triple celebration: the 30th anniversary of Synopsys in India, the move to a new, larger building, and the integration of Ansys India's 1,200-strong team. This gathering occurred months after Synopsys concluded its massive $35-billion acquisition of Ansys and just before Nvidia announced a $2-billion investment in the chip-design tools company.
Navigating Regulatory Hurdles and Celebrating a Transformative Deal
Ghazi revealed that he spent the past year and a half traveling extensively, particularly to China, to assure governments that the Synopsys-Ansys merger posed no national security threats and to secure regulatory approvals. "What we are doing together is big, strategic, really transformative for the industry," he said, expressing excitement over the deal's conclusion. He noted that Nvidia's investment serves as a clear endorsement of this transformative vision.
Driving Innovation in the Automotive Industry Through Digital Twins
Much of the discussion centered on the potential transformation, with Ghazi highlighting the automotive industry as a prime example of why silicon (Synopsys' expertise) and multi-physics engineering systems (Ansys' strength) must converge. He pointed to China's rapid pace in smart car development compared to traditional regions like the US, Europe, South Korea, and Japan.
"They're designing the car as a digital product, the same way as you design a phone or a laptop. They start at the software level, everything is modeled in a digital twin," Ghazi explained. "It traditionally was a 7-year cycle when you brought out a new car model, that came down to four, now the Chinese are doing it in less than a year."
Integrating Physics and Chip Design for Holistic Engineering Solutions
Ghazi aims to accelerate this process by providing engineering teams with tools that enable holistic design of systems—integrating physics, chips, electronics, and software—in a virtual environment. Ansys leads in physics simulation, modeling heat, stress, vibration, airflow, radiation, and durability, while Synopsys excels in chip design tools.
With Moore's Law slowing down and companies stacking chips for greater power, Ghazi noted new physics challenges arise. The Synopsys-Ansys merger will now allow customers to build advanced package chips and entire intelligent physical products digitally, from chip to systems. "And they can do it in the context of the increased silicon in these smart products, in the context of the physical world," he emphasized.
Evolving Tech Stacks for Physical AI Products
Context is crucial, Ghazi stressed. While AI in platforms like ChatGPT is one aspect, AI making real-time decisions within physical constraints like heat and stress is another. The tech stack for building effective physical AI products—such as cars, drones, satellites, robots, or factory systems—must evolve beyond today's siloed engineering tools, a goal Ghazi is actively pursuing.
India's Leadership in Foundation IP and Engineering Excellence
Ghazi underscored India's significant role in Synopsys' operations, noting that about one-third of the engineering workforce is based in India, with talent here owning, architecting, and developing many products sold globally. A key part of the portfolio, Foundation IP, is architected and led by an India-based VP of engineering.
This team, comprising a couple of thousand people in India and several thousand more globally, reports to the India leader, managing hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. They collaborate closely with major chip manufacturers like TSMC, Intel, Samsung, and GlobalFoundries. Since around 2010–2012, this effort has grown rapidly in size, scale, and complexity over the last five to six years, driven by strong leadership.
On the electronic design automation (EDA) side, several products also have architects and owners based in India, further cementing the country's pivotal role in Synopsys' global strategy.
