Synopsys Opens Chip Design Tools to European Startups and Researchers
Synopsys has agreed to make its electronic design automation software available to semiconductor startups and medium-sized enterprises through the European Chips Design Platform. The arrangement is intended to help European innovators develop chips for areas including artificial intelligence and high-performance computing.
- Synopsys signed an agreement with the European Chips Joint Undertaking.
- Its EDA software will be available through the European Chips Design Platform.
- Support covers EuroCDP Levels 1 and 2, from early ventures through pre-production.
- The offering includes digital, photonic, analog and mixed-signal design flows.
- The initiative targets European startups, SMEs and research teams.
Access through the European Chips Design Platform
Synopsys announced the agreement with the European Chips Joint Undertaking, known as Chips JU, on November 4, 2026, at an event in Brussels. The company said the partnership will provide a simplified entry point to its advanced chip design capabilities through EuroCDP.
EuroCDP’s wider program includes intellectual property, training, funding and prototyping support. The platform is aimed at startups, SMEs and research teams, while Synopsys will contribute access to its design tools. According to Synopsys, the agreement supports the European Chips Act and Europe’s strategic objectives in fields such as AI and high-performance computing.
“Europe’s next generation of semiconductor innovation will come from organizations of many different sizes, not only established chip companies,” said Jari Kinaret, executive director of Chips JU. He said EuroCDP is intended to give startups, SMEs and research teams a clearer route to the resources required to develop new technologies.
Support from early development to pre-production
Synopsys will support both Level 1 and Level 2 of the EuroCDP program. This means participants can use Synopsys solutions from the earliest stage of a venture through pre-production, according to the company.
The offering covers full digital front-end and back-end flows for advanced system-on-chip designs on leading-edge process technologies at key foundries. It also includes photonic integrated circuit flows for optical networking, data centers and sensing, as well as analog and mixed-signal flows for industrial, automotive and connectivity applications.
EuroCDP members will receive access to Synopsys design, verification and signoff solutions that the company says are deployed by leading semiconductor companies worldwide. Antonio Varas, Synopsys’ chief strategy officer, said the agreement can help innovators turn ideas into silicon and contribute to a stronger European semiconductor ecosystem.
Building on work with European chip companies
Synopsys described EuroCDP as an extension of its work with emerging semiconductor companies in Europe, including Axelera AI, Openchip and SiPearl. The company said this experience has involved helping innovators address advanced system-on-chip design.
Axelera AI used Synopsys digital design, implementation and verification technologies while developing its Metis and Europa AI Processing Units. Synopsys said these capabilities were combined with power-integrity technology from Ansys, now part of Synopsys, to help optimize power delivery, performance and energy efficiency.
For European startups and research teams, the agreement could reduce barriers to accessing advanced chip design software and expertise. The source does not specify pricing, application procedures or a start date for access, but positions EuroCDP as a route for innovators to use Synopsys capabilities alongside the platform’s other support.
