As China accelerates its push for chip self-reliance, EDA — often called the “mother of chips” — is moving into the spotlight. According to EE Times China, Shanghai-based Univista filed for IPO guidance on December 26, marking a key milestone for the five-year-old domestic EDA firm’s entry into the capital markets.

According to TrendForce, Synopsys, Cadence, and Siemens EDA accounted for 32%, 29%, and 13% of the market in 2024 — a combined share of 74% globally. EE Times China suggests that their combined market share in China exceeds 80%.

As highlighted by EE Times China, while the global EDA industry remains dominated by U.S. and European giants, Univista is viewed as the only domestic Chinese vendor able to cover the full digital chip verification flow, the complete DFT (Design-for-Testability) process, and high-speed interconnect IP for advanced nodes. Its portfolio now spans digital EDA tools, system-level solutions, and high-end IP, the report adds.

Notably, the report points out that Univista’s founding team hails from leading international EDA firms such as Synopsys and Cadence. Since its founding five years ago, the company has moved at an unusually fast pace, launching nearly 40 products, the report notes.

The company’s latest launch, the AI-driven UniVista DesignAssistant, is China’s first product to merge large-scale AI models with a self-developed EDA engine, according to EE Times China. Earlier, in June, Univista also announced it had successfully powered on and validated an HBM3/E test chip, achieving data transfer speeds of up to 9,600 MT/s at standard voltage.

According to EE Times China, Univista’s IPO push comes at a particularly favorable moment for China’s domestic EDA industry. The report notes that the local EDA market is booming, having reached USD 1.52 billion in 2023 and projected to exceed USD 2.5 billion by 2025. At the same time, supported by national policies, the adoption of domestic EDA tools is accelerating, expanding coverage from 28nm toward 14nm nodes, while demand from Chinese chip designers for homegrown solutions is rising sharply, the report adds.

Univista’s IPO is just one sign of China’s push for EDA self-reliance. According to ijiwei, leading domestic EDA player Empyrean this month co-founded Tianjin Zhongwan Xinsheng Management Consulting Partnership, committing RMB 110.01 million, with Empyrean contributing RMB 100 million for a 90.9% stake. The company said the move aims to support its strategic growth and expand its footprint in the EDA sector.

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(Photo credit: Univista)