Synopsys’ $35B acquisition of ANSYS is more than a software merger; it’s a bid to control the full lifecycle of digital product design. By combining chip design with simulation and AI-driven optimization, the deal could accelerate innovation worldwide.
In July 2025, Synopsys completed a $35 billion deal, marking one of the largest software deals in engineering history. The merger brings together Synopsys, a leader in electronic design, and a dominant player in engineering software ANSYS, allowing engineers to design and test products within a single platform. While initially framed as a strategic expansion into simulation, the deal is an arms race of who will have the bigger market share in digital infrastructure and modern product development. The deal seems straightforward, Synopsys dominates electronic design automation (EDA), providing the software for the semiconductor and the chip design. Meanwhile, ANSYS, dominates in engineering simulation software, helping engineers virtually test product for performance in real world conditions, in fields like mechanical, thermal or electromagnetic. Together, they create a vertically integrated company, in which they can design core technology and virtually test how it performs, in one system. Still, the true consequences of the merger go beyond operational overlap.
