Synopsys, Inc. is a global leader in electronic design automation (EDA) and semiconductor IP, providing a comprehensive portfolio of tools and services for the semiconductor design and manufacturing industry. Founded in 1986 by Dr. Aart de Geus and a team of engineers from General Electric, the company was established to commercialize innovative logic synthesis technology. Headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, Synopsys has grown to become an essential partner for companies developing the advanced electronic products and software applications that define the modern world. Its technologies are at the heart of innovations in artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things, enabling the era of 'Smart Everything'. The company's core offerings span the entire silicon to systems design lifecycle, including silicon design and verification, silicon intellectual property, and software security and quality testing.
In a strategic move to enhance its software integrity platform, Synopsys acquired Black Duck Software in December 2017. Black Duck was a recognized leader in automated solutions for securing and managing open-source software (OSS). The increasing prevalence of OSS in application development presented significant security and license compliance challenges for organizations, as many lacked visibility into the open-source components within their code. The integration of Black Duck's Software Composition Analysis (SCA) solution into the Synopsys portfolio addressed this critical need. It provided customers with the ability to automatically identify and inventory open-source code, detect known security vulnerabilities, and manage license compliance issues. This acquisition strengthened Synopsys' position in the application security testing market, allowing it to offer a more robust and comprehensive platform that pushes security and quality testing throughout the entire software development lifecycle, effectively minimizing risks and maximizing productivity for its global clientele.