Synopsys, OpenAI strike deal to develop AI model for chip design work

By Stephen Nellis

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept 30 (Reuters) – Synopsys, a maker of software used in designing computing chips, said on Wednesday that it has struck a deal to share revenue with ​OpenAI as the two develop an AI model for the ‌chip business.

GPT-Synopsys, as the model will be called, will be specifically trained and tuned to take on chip design tasks, which start with a description of the chip’s circuits in a code-like language and span to determining how to lay out ‌billions ​of transistors on a small square of silicon.

OpenAI’s ⁠model will learn how ⁠to use Synopsys software tools to help engineers work through the various trade-offs and optimizations that happen during the design process “to be able to shave off weeks, months from the design process and ​to bring more chips to the world,” OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman said in a video announcing the news.

Synopsys announced the deal at an ⁠investor summit where Synopsys CEO Sassine Ghazi ⁠also said the company now expects 15% revenue growth ​for its fiscal 2027, which was above analyst estimates of 11.19% growth, ​according to LSEG data. Shares rose as much as 7% ‌after the partnership and forecast announcement.

Ghazi told Reuters in an interview that OpenAI will pay Synopsys a training subscription fee for learning to use Synopsys tools. When Synopsys customers use the product, Synopsys and OpenAI will ⁠share revenue based on how well the model improves the design of a chip.

“We structured the agreement in a way that it will not be ⁠cannibalizing our business,” ‌Ghazi said. “It will be an upside to our business ⁠given we’re delivering more value to the customer.”

Ghazi ​said that ‌the GPT-Synopsys model’s work will still be double-checked ​by Synopsys ⁠tools that use traditional computing techniques to verify whether a chip will work.

“The model needs these guardrails in order to check the physics,” Ghazi said. “The need for validating with the highest level of fidelity, what we call sign-off or ground truth, is essential.”

(Reporting by Stephen Nellis in San FranciscoEditing ​by Nick Zieminski)