( ESNUG 467 Item 14 ) ------------------------------------------- [07/26/07]
Subject: Magma, Virtuoso, Mike Stabenfeldt, SiCanvas, Tanner, and Synopsys
> I wonder if Magma's "own custom layout tool" is a variant on "buy vs.
> make". Inside Magma's recent Form 10-K/A filed on 4/4/2007, I noticed:
>
> "On May 3, 2006, we acquired a license to technology relating to
> electronic design automation from Stabie-Soft, Inc. We paid $2.5
> million for the license upon close of the transaction. We also
> agreed to pay up to $0.5 million in cash in additional license
> fees based upon achievement of certain milestones."
>
> The details are lacking, but the emphasis of Stabie-Soft (basically that's
> just Mike Stabenfeldt, a 1-man EDA shop based in Austin, TX) has always
> appeared to be on tools associated with Slam-Edit, a layout editor. But
> this $2.5 M with $0.5 M kicker is a fairly tidy sum (compared to the
> current Stabie-Soft product pricing) so I imagine Magma may have purchased
> access to more than just some layout editor "technology".
>
> - from http://www.deepchip.com/wiretap/070620.html
From: [ Horse With No Name ]
Hi, John,
Please keep me completely anon on this one.
FYI, we were speculating that the Stabie-Soft stuff would be the core of
Magma's layout editor, too. If it is, this Magma tool hardly qualifies as
a "not a me-too product." More on the level of Tanner's tools; which are
not where either Virtuoso or Laker play.
- [ Horse With No Name ]
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
From: John Cooley <jcooley=user domain=zeroskew got mom>
Let me get this straight. You're saying you think Magma's custom layout
strategy will be to *not* take on the Cadence Virtuoso monopoly directly,
but to instead go after the cheap seats and build up from there? Huh?
- John Cooley
ESNUG/DeepChip.com Holliston, MA
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
From: [ Horse With No Name ]
Hi, John,
I don't know Magma well enough to guess... if you read the web sites on each
of the 12 or so layout editors in the world, they all say the same things:
faster, cheaper, more accurate... just like the simulator guys. Yet only 2
or 3 of them are considered high-end tools. I'd have to guess Magma's
overhead is too high to justify a run at the cheap seats.
What I see is that Cadence is trying to make a digital play and the digital
guys are looking to attack Cadence's "Analog Kingdom" to keep Cadence
distracted. Not a bad strategy whether or not you are serious (or think you
are) about the Analog market.
I originally speculated that the StabieSoft stuff was going to be more or
less free as part of the Magma PnR tools for post-PnR editing. Now, maybe
they think they can do something with those tools that Stabie (and 9 other
companies) have been unable to do. Synopsys can tell you that creating a
high-end design/custom layout tool is not easy.
Anon as always...
- [ Horse With No Name ]
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