Category: Press Release

Disruptive AI-powered Layout Automation software launched as part of Thalia’s latest AMALIA platform release

by Syed AhmadPress Release

Thalia, a leader in analog, mixed signal and RF IP design migration, today announced the release of AMALIA 24.3 with the first preview of its AI-powered layout porting software, the fourth component available in the comprehensive IP reuse platform.

Customers can now benefit not only from the ground-breaking Technology Analyzer and Circuit Porting suite, as well as the Design Enabler (core), but also the Layout Automation (LA) software which is the final stage in the process of providing designs to the foundry.

The AMALIA LA software uses the source design’s layout as the starting point and this unique approach facilitates the software to maintain the floorplan placement and preserves all intelligence generated on the existing IP through silicon validation. This is then tied with DR checks to ensure the final layout is DRC clean.

Sou Bennani-McCord, VP of Sales at Thalia, said:

“Today is another milestone for Thalia as we introduce our final solution to complete the AMALIA flow allowing customers to take their existing IPs from process technology analysis, porting of schematics/test benches to verification including estimated parasitics, to migrating the layout in the target technology.

“What we have today is a complete end-to-end IP reuse/migration platform that is the most comprehensive on the market and offers our customers best-in-class IP reuse that is fast, cost-effective and accurate. We look forward to introducing the new LA tool to our existing customers this month before launching it to the broader market early next year.”

The AMALIA 24.3 release includes other improvements to the platform such as enabling Key Device Identification to assist with meeting key design specifications in the AMALIA Design Enabler. It also includes DesignSync version control supporting customers’ design workflow in AMALIA Circuit Porting.

AMALIA is Thalia’s comprehensive end-to-end IP reuse software platform. Leveraging automation and AI/ML capabilities, it drastically reduces the complexity, cost and time traditionally associated with migrating and optimizing existing applications. Customers can make use of a discrete component of the AMALIA platform or leverage the complete platform providing them flexibility in how to manage their design migration requirements.

To find out more about the AMALIA Layout Porting, or to try the AMALIA platform, visit www.thalia-da.com

Thalia’s AMALIA 24.2 introduces pioneering estimated parasitics feature to reduce PEX iterations by at least 30%

by Syed AhmadPress Release

Thalia, a leader in analog, mixed signal and RF IP design migration, today announced the 24.2 release of its AMALIA platform. The latest update brings advanced features to the AMALIA toolset including estimated parasitics for enhanced design accuracy and a faster migration process for semiconductor IP design engineers.

AMALIA 24.2’s stand-out feature directly tackles one of the most intricate challenges in semiconductor design—accurate parasitic estimation. AMALIA eliminates this traditional constraint and streamlines the design process by intelligently incorporating extracted parasitics from the source design and including them in the circuit porting phase to provide estimated parasitics early in the design process. As a result, the accuracy of the ported schematic is improved, reducing the need for multiple post-layout parasitic extraction (PEX) iterations by at least 30%. This is particularly beneficial in high-frequency applications, and smaller process technology nodes, where precision and speed are paramount.

With this latest enhancement to the AMALIA platform, Thalia once again demonstrates its dedication to reducing design cycle times and associated costs, empowering businesses to achieve faster time-to-market for new product innovations. The new feature streamlines the schematic porting by removing the need for skilled designers to estimate parasitics manually, saving valuable resources and speeding up the design verification process.

Syed Ahmad, VP of Product Development at Thalia, remarked on the update, “With AMALIA 24.2, we’re not just updating a platform; we’re setting a new industry standard for efficiency and precision in IP migration. Estimated parasitics in AMALIA is a testament to our commitment to innovation and the tangible benefits it brings to our customers.”

In addition, AMALIA 24.2 enhances the IP migration experience with a new design centering assistant feature, and updates to its advanced device mapping. The design centering assistant quickly identifies critical devices that impact performance, facilitating precise adjustments, while the device mapping table now benefits from AI/ML-driven auto device recommendations, ensuring optimal device selection and removing the need for manual work.

The launch of AMALIA 24.2 is a pivotal moment for design engineers looking to navigate the complexities of semiconductor design migration with greater ease and accuracy. Thalia remains at the forefront of this endeavor, continuously seeking ways to refine and enhance the IP design migration process to deliver tangible value to businesses trying to maximize their team resources and productivity.

Find out how AMALIA 24.2 can facilitate your IP migration projects, saving both time and budget.

AMALIA 24.1 releases with support for 12nm FinFET alongside major enhancements to its Circuit Porting and Technology Analyzer tools

by Syed AhmadNewsPress Release

Thalia, a leader in analog, mixed signal and RF IP design migration, today announced the release of AMALIA 24.1. This latest version of the company’s efficient IP reuse and migration platform includes the recently announced support for 12nm FinFET technology and Circuit Porting simulation comparisons. Also introduced in this update is a summary report within AMALIA’s Technology Analyzer software. Using this report, key decision makers can quickly access the critical information they need to choose the right process technology nodes and optimum devices, streamlining the decision-making process.

“Integrating support for 12nm FinFET technology into AMALIA was an important step forward in ensuring our customers have the capabilities needed to use advanced process technologies,” explained Syed Ahmad, VP of Product Development at Thalia. “FinFET technology is crucial for developing semiconductor devices that are not only smaller, more efficient, and more powerful but also designed to meet the stringent requirements of advanced technology nodes. This enables their use in a wide range of applications, from consumer electronics and automotive systems to the Internet of Things.”

In addition to the support for 12nm FinFET technology, AMALIA 24.1 offers simulation comparison capability within its Circuit Porting tool. With this feature included, IP designers can not only port designs to new process nodes, they can also simulate and compare the outcomes of the original and ported designs, using their preferred simulator tool and see if any further adjustments are needed. This reduces the requirement for multiple iterations and saves design porting time.

A new feature included within the AMALIA 24.1 release is a report that provides a summary of the in-depth results from AMALIA’s Technology Analyzer findings.

“This latest enhancement to our software suite uses AI to provide a concise summary of key findings and recommendations taken from the standard report which, due to its comprehensive nature, can be hundreds of pages long. This drastically reduces the subsequent analysis time by providing the most relevant and critical information in a format that is quick and easy for senior designers and key decision makers to understand and make informed decisions,” Syed Ahmad explains.

The release of AMALIA 24.1 reflects Thalia’s dedication to supporting the semiconductor industry’s evolving needs, by not only maintaining up-to-date technology support but also by innovating and enhancing the user experience through new features that simplify complex processes.

For more information on how AMALIA 24.1 can facilitate your IP migration and optimization projects, saving both time and budget, click here.

Thalia’s AMALIA qualified on 12nm FinFET technology

by Sou Bennani-McCordPress Release

Thalia has announced the qualification of its AMALIA platform for 12nm FinFET technology, marking a significant step forward in analog, mixed-signal and RF IP design migration. This qualification enables customers to capitalize on the latest in advanced process technology and accelerate time to market for new products without compromising on cost and resource efficiency.  

“FinFET technology delivers substantial performance benefits and enables more efficient scaling in semiconductor devices. This is crucial given the shift towards increasingly smaller technology nodes and transistors,” says Sou Bennani-McCord, Global VP of Sales at Thalia. 

“Leveraging FinFETs, our customers are engineering devices that are not only smaller and more efficient, but also significantly more powerful, all while ensuring compatibility with a variety of technology nodes. This versatility is key for applications spanning from automotive to IoT, AI and ML, and more, positioning our customers at the cutting edge of electronic design innovation.” 

AMALIA offers a smooth and reliable IP migration cycle helping semincondor companies maintain competitiveness by adopting state-of-the-art process technologies, like 12 FinFET. It also enables them to speed up their product development cycles, while staying on budget and remaining efficient operationally. 

By combining an automated IP migration flow with design expertise, the AMALIA software suite simplifies the transition to newer technologies giving customers the flexibility to broaden their product portfolio and extend their market reach in the most efficient way. 

The AMALIA platform has a proven track record, with validation across more than 50 IPs in domains ranging from RF and Baseband to PMIC and PLL/ADC, many of which are already in commercial use. The addition of 12nm FinFET technology into AMALIA’s capabilities reinforces Thalia’s dedication to innovation and its commitment to ensuring its customers remain at the forefront of technology. 

Click here for more information about Thalia and the AMALIA platform.

Thalia’s AMALIA (23.4a) qualified on Siemens AFS for increased analog design migration flexibility

by Syed AhmadPress Release

Thalia, a leader in analog design migration, today announced the release of AMALIA 23.4a. This latest version of the software suite significantly broadens its capabilities by integrating full support for Siemens AFS Simulator in its Technology Analyzer (TA), Circuit Porting (CP), and Design Enabler (DE) tools.  

“AMALIA was built based around Cadence workflows”, explains Syed Ahmad, VP of Product Development at Thalia. “The added support for Siemens AFS is the first step in a transition to supporting multiple EDA tools to fit all customer design flows and underlines Thalia’s commitment to offering designers unmatched flexibility and efficiency.”  

AMALIA‘s central offer remains the same: dramatically reduce the time, complexity, and costs traditionally associated with migrating and optimizing existing IPs for new technologies and applications. This allows customers to focus simultaneously on both new product development and efficient migration of existing IPs to expand existing product ranges and target new markets and applications. 

Key enhancements in the AMALIA 23.4a release include: 

AMALIA Technology Analyzer (TA): 

  • Integrated device & parameter recognition modules: Modular functionality for more accurate device and parameter recognition. Enhanced auto testcase generation minimizes manual interventions, streamlining the workflow and saving time. 

 AMALIA Circuit Porting (CP): 

  • Simulation comparison: Compare the simulation results of both original and ported designs. Users can determine if the ported design needs further adjustments or if it can be used as it is, ultimately reducing the need for multiple iterations. 
  • Database checker: Before and after the porting process, customers can now examine the database for design completeness and uncover any hidden errors. This step ensures that designers work with a clean database, avoiding unnecessary iterations, thereby saving time and providing a foundation for improved results and error-free porting. 

AMALIA Design Enabler (DE): 

  • Multiple testbenches: Customers can now center several testbenches simultaneously, all using the same design schematic. This facilitates improved optimization leveraging bespoke AI technology.  
  • Regions of Operation: This ensures that the transistor devices operate in the correct region, speeding up the design centering process. 

In addition to these new features, AMALIA 23.4a introduces different licensing levels, offering a flexible approach to cater to individual business requirements.  

While customers can choose to use individual software tools or the entire suite, AMALIA‘s diverse business model now encompasses both licensing and commercial SaaS-based solutions. For those preferring an in-house approach, Thalia can set up and facilitate the use of the AMALIA software directly on the customer’s servers, ensuring IP security within a controlled environment. 

Looking ahead, Thalia has confirmed that the next AMALIA release is scheduled for January 2024. This emphasizes Thalia’s commitment to ongoing improvements in analog and mixed-signal IP reuse and design.

Click here for more information about Thalia and the AMALIA platform.

Stephane Cordova joins Thalia as Director of Sales Europe

by Sowmyan RajagopalanPress Release

We’re delighted to welcome Stephane Cordova as the newest member of our growing sales team, serving as Director of Sales Europe

Thalia’s Global VP of Sales, Sou Bennani-McCord, says: “As a representative of Thalia, Stephane brings over 30 years of experience as a business executive in the semiconductor industry and brings expertise in EDA solutions, analog and digital SoC from his work with companies like STMicroelectronics, Kalray and Intento Design. His extensive business and sales experience in the semiconductor industry will be a great asset to the team.”

Commenting on his new role, Stephane said: “I am truly honoured to join the team here at Thalia and help the company achieve its business goals for market expansion. Design IP plays a key role in driving innovation in the semiconductor industry. As the complexity and scale of silicon designs increases, Thalia is redefining that landscape, combining the experience of an expert analog design team with a unique development methodology that underpins the AMALIA platform.”

Welcoming our new Global VP of Sales

by Sowmyan RajagopalanPress Release

Thalia has appointed Sou Bennani-McCord as Global VP of Sales. An important addition to Thalia’s leadership team, Sou will play a key role in the company’s ongoing expansion plans and global growth.

Thalia’s Founder and CEO, Sowmyan Rajagopalan, says: “Sou brings over 25 years of experience in international sales and business development to Thalia having worked for both Intel and Mentor Graphics/Siemens. Her experience with sales in both mature and emerging markets, along with her diverse international business background, puts her in an excellent position to support Thalia’s ambitious growth plans and we’re thrilled that she is joining the management team.”

Sou brings a wealth of semiconductor market experience to her role, alongside a strong foundation of strategic business management expertise for technology companies. Sou also holds a Masters in economics and a Post Graduate degree in business management from the Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille 1, France.

Commenting on her new role, Sou said: “I am excited to join the talented team at Thalia. Thalia’s unique offering and focus on analog and mixed signal IP re-use offers unmatched value to the semiconductor industry. I look forward to taking an active role in Thalia’s growth and expansion plans.”

Thalia expands footprint in China with appointment of Business Partner Fionn Liu

by Sowmyan RajagopalanPress Release

Thalia has appointed Fionn Liu as Business Partner in China following its recently announced expansion plans. Thalia’s Founder and CEO, Sowmyan R., says: “Fionn will play an important role in our business growth as we introduce the AMALIA platform to China. Geopolitical tensions and the forecasted growth in 2024 in China’s semiconductor market have magnified the need for diversification within the supply chain and a robust second sourcing strategy. As a result, semiconductor businesses need to be able to reuse and migrate their IP seamlessly between foundries and this is where our AMALIA platform can help. By leveraging AMALIA’s unique Technology Analyzer and Circuit Porting capabilities, businesses can reduce IP reuse project timelines by a remarkable 40% to quickly ensure their valuable IP can be efficiently deployed across different foundries, regions, or technologies.”

“Fionn Liu brings a wealth of industry experience spanning almost two decades, making her a valuable asset as we expand our footprint in China. Together, we’re ready to assist businesses within this dynamic environment, offering a seamless bridge between IP reuse and second sourcing strategies.”

With almost 20 years of experience in the semiconductor, IIOT and automotive industries, Fionn’s career encompasses both working for established businesses and advising startups in securing business partners, clients and investors. She has extensive experience in building long-term strategy and ecosystem support for high quality companies, and previously worked as a Product Marketing engineer at GlobalFoundries. She holds an MBA, an MS in Advanced Materials for Micro- and Nano-Systems, and a BE in Material Science.

Thalia announces new additions to its senior management team and Board

by Sowmyan RajagopalanPress Release

Thalia, analog IP reuse specialist, has made a number of appointments to its senior management team and Board to drive its recently announced expansion plans. 

 

Syed Ahmad, VP Product Development

Joining as Vice President of Product Development, Syed Ahmad brings a wealth of experience, having worked with a variety of start-ups and multinational technology companies for over 15 years. Prior to joining Thalia, Syed helped companies to conceptualize, design, plan and manage the delivery of leading-edge communication and collaboration solutions, throughout Europe and USA – bringing an international perspective to all aspects of product management and solutions development. 

Commenting on his appointment, Syed said: “I am working with an excellent and dedicated software development team and looking forward to adding my own mark and supporting team Thalia in the exciting journey to igniting innovation in EDA design automation. More will be revealed as we continue to embark on our path to help our valued customers of semiconductor IPs simplify and drastically reduce time, resources, and costs by leveraging AI & ML algorithms together with some software magic to efficiently speed up IP reuse and deliver design automation.” 

 

Guillaume d’Essautier, Chairman

Guillaume d’Essautier has assumed the role of Chairman on Thalia’s Board. With a distinguished career spanning four decades within the semiconductor industry, d’Essautier brings an extensive track record of leadership roles in prominent companies across Europe and the USA. 

Thalia’s Founder and CEO, Sowmyan Rajagopalan, says “As Board Chairman, Guillaume will play a leading strategic role in guiding our business through its next exciting stage of growth as we broaden our AMALIA platform and expand our geographical reach. Guillaume is highly-respected within the semiconductor industry and his expertise will be invaluable to the Thalia team and business.”

Most recently Guillaume was CEO of DelfMEMS. Prior to that he was CEO of ADD semiconductor which was acquired by Atmel in 2011. Other businesses that have benefited from his leadership include picoCHIP, Cadence, IBM, Rockwell, GEC-Plessey and Philips. He also holds an MSc in Material Science and an MBA from INSEAD. 

 

Ron Black, Board Director

Ron Black, CEO of Codasip, a German EDA and RISC-V IP company, has joined Thalia as a Board Director. Ron has over 30 years of industry experience in semiconductors, software, design automation, and IP. He has run a total of ten global technology businesses and been a director or advisor at many more, all of which involved scaling and/or corporate transformations.

Commenting on his appointment, Ron said: “I am excited to join Thalia, which is poised for dynamic growth through its class-leading EDA tools that help customers efficiently scale and optimize their analog/RF designs across process technology nodes.”  

Thalia’s strategic leadership appointments underscore the company’s dedication to pioneering advancements in EDA design automation and transforming the semiconductor IP reuse landscape. 

Thalia Secures $2.7 Million Funding to Strengthen Position as Leading IP Reuse Partner for Semiconductor Industry

by Sowmyan RajagopalanPress Release

Thalia, a prominent analog IP reuse specialist, has announced the successful completion of a substantial funding round, propelling the company into its next phase of growth. The $2.7 million (£2.125 million) investment is lead by Mercia Ventures, who has backed the company since 2014, alongside continued support from Deepbridge Capital and private investor Guillaume d’Eyssautier. The funding will fuel Thalia’s ambitious expansion plans, broaden its operational scope, and drive the productization of its cutting-edge AMALIA IP reuse platform.

“With the increasing demand for second-sourcing to unlock new markets and address evolving requirements, Thalia stands as the ideal strategic partner,” says Sowmyan Rajagopalan, CEO of Thalia. “Our AMALIA platform provides a proven IP-reuse solution that enables semiconductor businesses to, for example, quickly and efficiently migrate existing IP designs into the sub-20nm range to align with the industry’s shift in this direction for better performance and power consumption.” He continues: “This latest funding will enable us to broaden the AMALIA portfolio further, expand our geographical presence and resources and so offer our customers even greater opportunities and support.”

Thalia has already embarked on sales expansion initiatives in Europe, Israel, and China and will soon announce additions to its management team including well-known experts from within the industry. The AMALIA portfolio is also being broadened to address cutting edge process technologies in 12FF and smaller. The company has also recently announced a customer evaluation program for its AMALIA software suite, which offers companies the opportunity to trial the latest version free for 30 days.

Ashwin Kumaraswarmy from lead investor Mercia Ventures added: “Semiconductor chip design is a manual and painstaking process and skilled engineering teams are rare. Thalia’s platform automates the whole process, enabling companies to diversify their product ranges quickly and cost effectively to meet evolving demand and reach new markets. It offers a comprehensive solution that no other platform can match. The funding will help the company to gain further commercial traction and establish itself as a leader in the industry.”

Commenting on their ongoing support, David Blake, Associate Investment Director at Deepbridge Capital, said: “We are delighted to continue supporting Thalia on this next stage of their exciting commercial journey. Highly innovative tech companies, such as Thalia, are exactly what the Enterprise Investment Scheme is designed to support.”

Thalia’s AMALIA IP reuse platform has received global recognition, enabling companies worldwide to enhance their product development efforts with a cost- and time-efficient solution for migrating existing product lines to new wafer fabs and process nodes. The AMALIA platform has been validated on over 50 IPs ranging from RF to Baseband to PMIC to PLL/ADC, many of which are already in commercial use, solidifying Thalia’s position as an industry leader.