By Foo Yun Chee
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Chip design software company Synopsys has offered remedies to address EU antitrust concerns about its $35 billion cash-and-stock acquisition of engineering software maker Ansys, according to a European Commission filing on Tuesday.
The deal, announced in January, is the biggest in the technology sector since chipmaker Broadcom’s $69 billion swoop on software maker VMware in November 2023.
The EU competition enforcer, which did not disclose details of the proposed remedies in line with its policy, set a Jan. 10 deadline for its decision. It may seek feedback from rivals and customers on the concessions before deciding whether to accept them or demand more.
It could also open a four-month investigation after its preliminary review if it has serious concerns.
Synopsys said in September it would sell its optical design tool maker Optical Solutions Group to design and emulation company Keysight Technologies, subject to the closing of the Ansys deal.
The Commission last month sought feedback from rivals and customers on the deal, with the focus on electronic design automation (EDA) software, services and hardware used to design chips and whether such tools are able to interoperate with rivals, according to a Commission document seen by Reuters.
The EU watchdog also asked whether EDA vendors bundle their products for sale.
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee. Editing by Louise Heavens and Mark Potter)
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