Synopsys (NASDAQ:SNPS) is preparing to discontinue a suite of semiconductor manufacturing process control software as the company redirects investment towards higher-margin artificial intelligence design technologies, according to six sources familiar with the plans.
Sources said the US chip design software company informed more than 10 semiconductor manufacturers during April and May that several manufacturing **** ytics products had reached "end of life." Customers reportedly include Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, Kioxia Holdings and Qorvo.
Under the move, Synopsys will stop developing new versions of the affected software while continuing to meet existing maintenance and contractual support commitments.
The software being phased out includes the Equipment Engineering System (EES) and Fault Detection and Classification (FDC) platforms. These applications are used within semiconductor fabrication plants to monitor production equipment, identify faults and help prevent manufacturing defects before they affect production yields.
According to two of the sources, the software plays a central role in monitoring fabrication processes across advanced chip manufacturing facilities.