ARM Acquires IC Design Software Provider Prolific

Prolific’s automated solutions are said to reduce development time and optimize the performance of cell-based design. The California-based company is privately-owned and was founded in 1995.

The acquisition was driven by ARM’s need for layout optimization solutions in light of the increasing complexity of 20-nm and below process technologies, according to the company. ARM said acquiring Prolific will augment its strategy to provide physical IP products, further enabling the implementation of integrated, low-power system-on-chip solutions.

"We have been successfully collaborating with Prolific for a number of years," said Simon Segars, executive vice president and general manager, Physical IP Division, ARM in a statement. "The technology and expertise that will come with this acquisition will expand our capabilities to accelerate ecosystem adoption of advanced process nodes at 20nm and below."

The Prolific team will be absorbed by the ARM Physical IP team based in San Jose, Calif. Prolific said the company is confident its offerings will boost ARM’s time to market for node solutions.

"Prolific has a long history of improving the efficiency of complex physical design process flows," said Paul de Dood, president and founder of Prolific, in a statement. "The ARM partnership will benefit from faster time to market for advanced node solutions through the addition of Prolific’s leading-edge optimization tools, which enable optimum power, performance and area with accelerated development timelines."