( ESNUG 523 Item 3 ) -------------------------------------------- [05/02/13]
Subject: Rumors of Calibre Interactive, Intel or TSMC?, FTC, CDNS vs. BDA
THE 25 "DOES": And here's the reader letters that I received claiming that
Mentor Calibre Interactive uses a non-OASIS interface (like BDA) and will
probably be one of the "Does"; plus the rumor that MENT has been exiled
from the Cadence Connections program, plus some speculation that Intel,
Qualcomm, Samsung, Panasonic, TSMC, NXP, Fujitsu, Mindspeed, LG, ST, ...
will be the list of the 25 SKILL-using "Does"; plus one letter explaining
this was all about a SPICE sale to the world's "Largest Foundry" (which
could either be Intel or TSMC -- depending on how you look at it); plus
two warnings about the FTC and something called "Tying the Sale". YIKES!
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One company I'd bet will be a "Doe" is Mentor. Their Calibre
Interactive uses a SKILL-only interface to ADE. They aren't
using Cadence Oasis at all. Don't license Oasis either.
This has been for at least 3 months with their 20 nm kits.
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FYI -
Mentor was booted from Cadence Connections program yesterday.
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Re: BDA vs. CDNS
Look into Calibre Interactive's SKILL ADE interface.
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Cadence just kicked MENT out of Connections.
I did not tell you this.
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I'm confused. If BDA is in trouble for using the SKILL interface,
why isn't Mentor also in trouble? It's how Calibre Interactive
hooks to ADE. Lip-Bu likes Wally but not Ravi?
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Well, John, suing competitors is one thing, but customers? That's
a bit more delicate. I would think any EDA vendor would sooner
express it in terms of higher prices in the renewal negotiations...
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The 25 Doe's Cadence will be suing in Cadence v. BDA, based on
BDA's top 25 customer list: Intel, Qualcomm, Samsung, Panasonic,
TSMC, NXP, Fujitsu, Mindspeed, LG, ST Micro, Toshiba, Sony, AMD,
Broadcom, Infineon, Elpida, Apple, Fresco, Raydium, I&C Technology,
Analog Bits, Skyworks, Asahi Kasei, UMC, Silicon Labs.
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The reason why BDA created their "Unified Interface" to Cadence ADE
bypassing Cadence OASIS was to allow users to run harmonic balance
and multitone analyses.
Cadence blocking these alternatives to OASIS-based integration is
anti-competitive behavior that will get them in trouble with
customers and the Department of Justice.
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It's easy enough to understand the genesis of this Cadence lawsuit,
misguided as it is. Just follow your own DeepChip web site:
Berkeley AFS benchmarks 5x-10x faster than Cadence Spectre/APS
http://www.deepchip.com/items/0494-09.html
1. Plus, looking at BDA press releases large and small companies
were kicking Spectre's butt, hours versus days.
2. At some point, the world's largest semiconductor Companies, and
most importantly, Largest Foundry, decided it should also
'switch' to BDA.
3. It's no secret that Cadence tried like heck to scuttle this
big move/deal. They failed.
4. Last year Cadence and BDA did engage in an acquisition discussion
but possible it was too expensive in Cadence's view.
5. So, Cadence's ADE monopoly under increasing threat. When you
can't compete in the market, call the attorneys. Heck, Synopsys
tried it many times all the way down the alphabet ladder from
Ambit to Extreme to Magma, so Cadence said: let's do it too!
Cheaper than acquiring or maybe, enabling a cheaper acquisition.
6. Right before the deal with the aforementioned Largest Foundry
deal goes down for BDA, Cadence sues BDA. Timing, in this
business, is everything.
7. A known fact, from unnamed Cadence sources, is that the Custom
Marketing team did an actual 'victory dance' assuming that they
had scared the Largest Foundry from making a 'switch-to' BDA
deal. Bad timing for a dance. Did I mention that timing is
everything in this business?
From a legal standpoint this the OASIS run-time license is a clear-cut
method of Tie-In as explained by the FTC:
For competitive purposes, a monopolist may use forced buying,
or "tie-in" sales, to gain sales in other markets where it is
not dominant and to make it more difficult for rivals in those
markets to obtain sales. This may limit consumer choice for
buyers wanting to purchase one ("tying") product by forcing
them to also buy a second ("tied") product as well. Typically,
the "tied" product may be a less desirable one that the buyer
might not purchase unless required to do so, or may prefer to
get from a different seller. If the seller offering the tied
products has sufficient market power in the "tying" product,
these arrangements can violate the antitrust laws.
- http://www.ftc.gov/bc/antitrust/tying_sale.shtm
Cadence is clearly leveraging their Virtuoso ADE monopoly to eliminate
competition in the tied-in-product markets (i.e. BDA simulators that
are now successfully displacing Cadence's previous generation of SPICE
simulators). Cadence now requires all other SPICE simulators to have
the OASIS run-time license but their own simulators don't need it!
If I were Synopsys or Mentor, I would take heed, as Calibre may be next.
Cadence Connections has gone from being an inclusive-partner-program to
let's use it to keep-competition-out program.
Customers should take note and step up now, or forever be subservient
to big company closed flows. Otherwise: RIP-Best in class flows and
interoperability. RIP-Genuine competition. RIP-Innovation in EDA.
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Related Articles:
Berkeley's lawyer answers Cadence charges in U.S. District Court
So far public opinion is strongly anti-Cadence on CDNS vs. BDA
Does Cadence-Berkeley lawsuit mean some ADE users will be sued?
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