GINC Technology
Semiconductors & Advanced Computing

Semiconductor Design & EDA

The capacity to design leading-edge semiconductors and to command the design layer itself, electronic design automation, intellectual-property cores and verification, on which all design depends.

Capability group
Semiconductors & Advanced Computing
Domain
Critical Technology · Hard Power
Identifier
factbase.org/cap/1W9YVWCN49

Papers

2.5k

2020–2024

Paper growth

−0%

2020–24 on 2015–19

Patent families

22.6k

2020–2024

Filed abroad

23%

families in more than one office

Framework

What it covers

What the capability covers and what it leaves to others, and the indicators it will be measured by.

Bounds

Covers design and design tooling; fabrication sits with the next capability, and design strength and tool dependence read at this capability's make and control layers respectively.

Lineage

New in v0.1, from the split of the v0.0 design-and-fabrication node (retired): design and fabrication are different national positions in the chain, held separately in practice, and a single node could not record that.

Indicators

  • fabless design revenue sharePending
  • design tool market positionPending
  • chip design starts at advanced nodesPending
Research

Who publishes it

Papers classified to the capability, by year and by the nation of their authors' institutions, 2020–2024. Read from the v0.0 research topic Advanced integrated circuit design and fabrication, which it shares with Advanced Semiconductor Fabrication.

Papers by year

The five leading nations, papers by year

Share of papers, 2020–2024

Of papers with a known author nation; 25% have none and are left out.

  1. 1China24.0%521 papers
  2. 2United States12.8%278 papers
  3. 3India10.7%232 papers
  4. 4Germany4.7%103 papers
  5. 5South Korea4.4%96 papers
  6. 6Japan3.7%81 papers
  7. 7Italy3.3%72 papers
  8. 8Taiwan3.3%71 papers
  9. 9United Kingdom2.8%61 papers
  10. 10Canada2.6%56 papers

Leading institutions, 2020–2024

By fractional count: each paper divided among its authors' institutions.

  1. 1University of Electronic Science and Technology of China42fractional papers
  2. 2Xidian University30fractional papers
  3. 3Southeast University29fractional papers
  4. 4Hangzhou Dianzi University17fractional papers
  5. 5National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University16fractional papers
  6. 6South China University of Technology15fractional papers
  7. 7Chinese Academy of Sciences13fractional papers
  8. 8Tianjin University12fractional papers
  9. 9Tsinghua University10fractional papers
  10. 10Beijing Institute of Technology9fractional papers
Patents

Who patents it

Patent families by the nation of origin of their applicants and their earliest priority year, from the CPC and IPC classes the capability is read from. 2025 onwards is incomplete: families are published 18 months after priority.

Families by priority year

The five leading origins, families by year

3,496 applicants filed here in 2015–2024; the five largest held 24% of families (HHI 181 of 10,000: unconcentrated).

Share of families by origin, 2020–2024

  1. 1China69.3%15,665 families
  2. 2United States12.2%2,755 families
  3. 3South Korea5.9%1,324 families
  4. 4Taiwan5.5%1,245 families
  5. 5Japan3.3%736 families
  6. 6Germany1.1%260 families
  7. 7United Kingdom0.6%125 families
  8. 8France0.3%57 families
  9. 9Netherlands0.2%56 families
  10. 10Singapore0.2%48 families

Applicants filing most internationally, 2015–2024

Families filed in more than one office, by applicant as the offices name them.

  1. 1TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MFG CO LTD1,190international families
  2. 2SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD1,068international families
  3. 3TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MFG520international families
  4. 4INTEL CORP254international families
  5. 5SYNOPSYS INC191international families
  6. 6QUALCOMM INC178international families
  7. 7CHANGXIN MEMORY TECH INC148international families
  8. 8IBM147international families
  9. 9UNITED MICROELECTRONICS CORP137international families
  10. 10FUJITSU LTD132international families

Classification read

  • G06F30/30 Circuit design automation: logic, layout, verification · 213.9k documents
  • G06F2115/00 Circuit types addressed by design automation · 10.1k documents
  • G06F2117/00 Aims of circuit design, e.g. low power, testability · 3.7k documents
  • H10D89/10 Integrated circuit layouts · 44.2k documents
  • H10D84/90 Gate arrays and standard-cell integrated circuits · 26.3k documents

Shares inventions with

Capabilities whose classes the same families also fall in, by overlap (Jaccard).

Companies

Who makes it

The companies that research, design, make, supply and operate the technology, the global leaders and the leading firms of every region.

50 companies in this capability, from 18 nations across 8 regions. Sorted by how experts see each company's global relevance in the field, from very high to very low.

  1. Very high5 companies
  2. 1

    United StatesSynopsys

    Largest EDA and semiconductor IP vendor, covering synthesis, verification and the leading interface IP; it absorbed Ansys simulation in 2025.

    Very high relevance · Design & engineering software · United States, Sunnyvale · founded 1986 · 20k staff

  3. 2

    United StatesCadence Design Systems

    Second of the big-three EDA vendors; it leads in custom/analog layout (Virtuoso), hardware emulation (Palladium) and digital implementation, and also sells IP.

    Very high relevance · Design & engineering software · United States, San Jose · founded 1988 · 13k staff

  4. 3

    GermanySiemens (Siemens EDA)

    Siemens EDA (formerly Mentor Graphics) is the third big-three EDA vendor; its Calibre physical verification is the de facto foundry signoff standard.

    Very high relevance · Equipment & machinery · Germany, Munich · founded 1847 · 312k staff

  5. 4

    United StatesNVIDIA

    Largest fabless chip designer by revenue; it designs the GPU and AI accelerator families (Hopper, Blackwell) used in most AI data centres.

    Very high relevance · Design · United States, Santa Clara · founded 1993 · 36k staff

  6. 5

    United KingdomArm Holdings

    Licenses the processor architecture and CPU/GPU IP cores inside nearly all smartphones and a growing share of data-centre and automotive chips.

    Very high relevance · Design · United Kingdom, Cambridge · founded 1990 · 7,096 staff

  7. High7 companies
  8. 6

    United StatesQualcomm

    Leading fabless designer of mobile SoCs (Snapdragon) and cellular modems, and a major holder of wireless patents.

    High relevance · Design · United States, San Diego · founded 1985 · 49k staff

  9. 7

    United StatesBroadcom

    Fabless leader in networking, switching and custom AI ASICs (XPUs) for hyperscalers such as Google's TPU.

    High relevance · Design · United States, Palo Alto · founded 1961 · 37k staff

  10. 8

    United StatesAMD

    Fabless designer of x86 CPUs (EPYC, Ryzen), Instinct AI GPUs and, through Xilinx, FPGAs; it was an early leader in chiplet design.

    High relevance · Design · United States, Santa Clara · founded 1969 · 28k staff

  11. 9

    United StatesApple

    Designs its own A-series and M-series SoCs and modems in-house, and is usually first to market on TSMC's leading-edge nodes.

    High relevance · Hardware & devices · United States, Cupertino · founded 1976 · 164k staff

  12. 10

    TaiwanMediaTek

    Largest fabless designer outside the US, supplying the most smartphone SoCs by volume (Dimensity) plus TV, Wi-Fi and ASIC chips.

    High relevance · Design · Taiwan, Hsinchu · founded 1997

  13. 11

    United StatesMarvell Technology

    Fabless designer of data-infrastructure silicon (electro-optics DSPs, custom AI ASICs for AWS and Microsoft, storage controllers).

    High relevance · Design · United States, Santa Clara · founded 1995

  14. 12

    United StatesIntel

    Designs x86 CPUs, Gaudi accelerators and Altera FPGAs, and holds one of the largest bodies of chip-design patents.

    High relevance · Components & subsystems · United States, Santa Clara · founded 1968 · 109k staff

  15. Moderate16 companies
  16. 13

    ChinaHuawei

    HiSilicon is Huawei's chip-design arm and China's most advanced designer, covering Kirin phone SoCs and Ascend AI accelerators, built under US export controls.

    Moderate relevance · Hardware & devices · China, Shenzhen · founded 1987 · 208k staff

  17. 14

    South KoreaSamsung Electronics

    Its System LSI division designs Exynos SoCs, modems and image sensors, and it is the second-largest international patent applicant in this capability.

    Moderate relevance · Components & subsystems · South Korea, Suwon · founded 1969 · 268k staff

  18. 15

    United StatesKeysight Technologies

    Keysight EDA (ADS, PathWave) is a leading RF/microwave and high-speed design tool vendor; in 2025 it added Synopsys's divested optical and PowerArtist tools.

    Moderate relevance · Equipment & machinery · United States, Santa Rosa · founded 2014 · 16k staff

  19. 16

    TaiwanAlchip Technologies

    Leading custom ASIC design-services house that builds high-performance and AI ASICs on TSMC advanced nodes for hyperscalers.

    Moderate relevance · Design · Taiwan, Taipei · founded 2003

  20. 17

    TaiwanGlobal Unichip Corp (GUC)

    TSMC-affiliated ASIC design-services company providing advanced-node, CoWoS packaging and HBM/die-to-die IP integration for AI chips.

    Moderate relevance · Design · Taiwan, Hsinchu · founded 1998

  21. 18

    TaiwanRealtek Semiconductor

    Major fabless designer of networking, audio, PC peripheral and multimedia SoCs, among the world's top ten fabless firms by revenue.

    Moderate relevance · Design · Taiwan, Hsinchu · founded 1987

  22. 19

    TaiwanNovatek Microelectronics

    World's leading fabless designer of display driver ICs and a significant TV SoC supplier.

    Moderate relevance · Design · Taiwan, Hsinchu · founded 1997

  23. 20

    ChinaUNISOC

    China's largest merchant mobile and IoT SoC designer (formerly Spreadtrum/RDA), shipping low-cost smartphone and cellular IoT chips worldwide.

    Moderate relevance · Design · China, Shanghai · founded 2013

  24. 21

    JapanSocionext

    Japan's leading custom SoC ("solution SoC") designer, formed from the Fujitsu and Panasonic LSI units; it designs automotive, data-centre and imaging chips on advanced nodes.

    Moderate relevance · Design · Japan, Yokohama · founded 2015

  25. 22

    JapanRenesas Electronics

    Major designer of automotive and industrial microcontrollers and SoCs; it bought Altium in 2024 to add PCB and electronics design software.

    Moderate relevance · Components & subsystems · Japan, Tokyo · founded 2002 · 21k staff

  26. 23

    United StatesRambus

    Licenses memory-interface and security IP (HBM, PCIe/CXL controllers, root-of-trust) and supplies DDR5 memory interface chips.

    Moderate relevance · Design · United States, San Jose · founded 1990

  27. 24

    United KingdomImagination Technologies

    Licenses PowerVR GPU and other graphics/AI IP cores used in mobile, automotive and consumer SoCs.

    Moderate relevance · Design · United Kingdom, Kings Langley · founded 1985

  28. 25

    ChinaVeriSilicon

    China's largest semiconductor IP licensor and custom silicon design-services platform (GPU, NPU, VPU and ISP IP).

    Moderate relevance · Design · China, Shanghai · founded 2001

  29. 26

    United StatesSiFive

    Leading commercial RISC-V processor IP company, founded by the architecture's Berkeley creators, licensing cores for AI, automotive and data-centre chips.

    Moderate relevance · Design · United States, Santa Clara · founded 2015

  30. 27

    United StatesCEVA

    Licensor of DSP, wireless connectivity (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 5G) and edge-AI NPU IP, shipped in billions of devices.

    Moderate relevance · Design · United States, Rockville · founded 2002

  31. 28

    CanadaTenstorrent

    AI accelerator and RISC-V CPU IP designer led by Jim Keller; it licenses its designs to national chip programmes in Japan, India and elsewhere.

    Moderate relevance · Design · Canada, Toronto · founded 2016

  32. Low11 companies
  33. 29

    ChinaEmpyrean Technology

    China's largest domestic EDA vendor, offering full-flow analog/custom design and flat-panel-display EDA; it is central to China's EDA self-sufficiency effort.

    Low relevance · Design & engineering software · China, Beijing · founded 2009

  34. 30

    ChinaCambricon Technologies

    Leading Chinese fabless AI accelerator designer (Siyuan/MLU series) and a domestic alternative to Nvidia in China.

    Low relevance · Design · China, Beijing · founded 2016

  35. 31

    ChinaPrimarius Technologies

    Chinese EDA vendor specialising in device modelling, circuit simulation and yield tools, used by foundries and designers worldwide.

    Low relevance · Design & engineering software · China, Shanghai · founded 2010

  36. 32

    United StatesSilvaco

    Supplier of TCAD process/device simulation, analog/mixed-signal EDA and IP, widely used for power, display and compound-semiconductor design.

    Low relevance · Design & engineering software · United States, Santa Clara · founded 1984

  37. 33

    ChinaHygon Information Technology

    Designs x86-compatible server CPUs (from an AMD Zen licence) and DCU GPGPU accelerators for China's domestic data centres.

    Low relevance · Design · China, Tianjin · founded 2014

  38. 34

    IsraelHailo

    Israeli fabless designer of edge-AI processors (Hailo-8, Hailo-15) for automotive, camera and industrial devices.

    Low relevance · Design · Israel, Tel Aviv · founded 2017

  39. 35

    IndiaMosChip Technologies

    India's main listed semiconductor design-services and turnkey ASIC company; it worked on India's first indigenous AI-capable SoC programmes.

    Low relevance · Professional & data services · India, Hyderabad · founded 1999

  40. 36

    CzechiaCodasip

    European RISC-V processor IP and processor-design-automation (Studio) company, with Eastern Europe's most significant presence in this capability.

    Low relevance · Design · Czechia, Brno · founded 2014

  41. 37

    AustraliaMorse Micro

    Australia's largest fabless chip designer, the leading supplier of Wi-Fi HaLow (802.11ah) SoCs for IoT.

    Low relevance · Design · Australia, Sydney · founded 2016

  42. 38

    AustraliaBrainChip Holdings

    Designs and licenses the Akida neuromorphic edge-AI processor IP, with engineering in Perth and California.

    Low relevance · Design · Australia, Sydney · founded 2004

  43. 39

    EgyptSi-Ware Systems

    Egyptian fabless designer of MEMS-based spectral sensors (NeoSpectra) and mixed-signal ASICs; the most prominent firm in Africa's leading chip-design cluster.

    Low relevance · Design · Egypt, Cairo · founded 2004

  44. Very low11 companies
  45. 40

    IndiaL&T Semiconductor Technologies

    Larsen & Toubro's fabless chip subsidiary designing power, analog and SoC products for automotive and industrial markets; it was India's first large-conglomerate fabless venture.

    Very low relevance · Design · India, Bengaluru · founded 2023

  46. 41

    IndiaMindgrove Technologies

    IIT Madras-incubated fabless startup that launched Secure IoT, presented as India's first commercial high-performance RISC-V microcontroller SoC.

    Very low relevance · Design · India, Chennai · founded 2021

  47. 42

    MalaysiaSkyeChip

    Malaysian IP and ASIC house licensing memory-interface, UCIe die-to-die and RISC-V IP; it listed on Bursa's Main Market in May 2026.

    Very low relevance · Design · Malaysia, Penang · founded 2019

  48. 43

    MalaysiaOppstar

    First pure-play IC design house on Bursa Malaysia, offering front-end, back-end and turnkey design services to IDMs and fabless firms.

    Very low relevance · Design · Malaysia, Bayan Lepas · founded 2014

  49. 44

    VietnamFPT Corporation (FPT Semiconductor)

    Vietnam's leading chip designer through FPT Semiconductor, which designs and sells power-management and IoT ICs and provides design services.

    Very low relevance · Professional & data services · Vietnam, Hanoi · founded 1988

  50. 45

    VietnamViettel Group

    Vietnam's state military-telecom group, which designed in-house 5G DFE chips through Viettel High Tech and is building national chip-design capability.

    Very low relevance · Operations & infrastructure · Vietnam, Hanoi · founded 1989

  51. 46

    ThailandSilicon Craft Technology

    Thailand's leading fabless IC designer, specialising in RFID/NFC transponder and animal-identification chips sold globally.

    Very low relevance · Design · Thailand, Bangkok · founded 2002

  52. 47

    EgyptSi-Vision

    Cairo-based designer of low-power RF and wireless connectivity IP that works closely with Synopsys; it signed a design-capacity MoU with Egypt's government in 2023.

    Very low relevance · Design · Egypt, Cairo · founded 2007

  53. 48

    BrazilCEITEC

    Brazil's federal semiconductor company, which designs and makes RFID and identification chips; Brasília halted its liquidation and is reviving it as the national chip-design centre.

    Very low relevance · Design · Brazil, Porto Alegre · founded 2008

  54. 49

    BrazilChipus Microelectronics

    Brazilian mixed-signal ASIC, analog IP and IC design-services company, listed as a GlobalFoundries ecosystem partner, with a US subsidiary.

    Very low relevance · Design · Brazil, Florianópolis · founded 2008

  55. 50

    TürkiyeMikro-Tasarim

    Turkish fabless designer of readout integrated circuits (ROICs) and imaging ASICs for infrared and X-ray detectors.

    Very low relevance · Design · Türkiye, Ankara

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