X-Epic, a prominent Chinese electronic design automation (EDA) start-up, is said to be reducing its workforce by up to 50%, according to a report by South China Morning Post. As chip design is an indispensable part to semiconductor manufacturing, the incident raises concerns about China’s push for technological self-reliance.

X-Epic, founded in 2020 by Wang Libin, a former engineer at US EDA leader Cadence Design Systems, has been established with the goal of creating indigenous EDA tools to challenge the dominance of US rivals. The field is traditionally governed by US giants including Cadence, Synopsys, and Mentor Graphics (now owned by Siemens).

Based on the definition by Cadence, EDA encompasses software, hardware, and essential services used in the design of chips and semiconductor devices. Historically, hardware architects sketched chip designs by hand and used isolated tools. However, alongside the rapid growth of AI, EDA has become indispensable as chip designs get complicated. The tool provides a simulated environment where circuits and designs are conceived and analyzed before being realized in the physical world.

According to the report, as of March, 2023, X-Epic employed approximately 400 people across offices in Nanjing, Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Shenzhen. However, the company began laying off up to half its employees recently across various departments, including its key research and development division.

The report further analyzes that in In August 2022, Washington first restricted China’s access to the EDA technology by prohibiting the export of gate all-around (GAA) capable EDA software, which creates challenges for Chinese chipmakers in adopting advanced processes such as the 3nm node and in developing high-performance computing or AI chips.

Citing data from the China Semiconductor Industry Association, the report notes that the value of China’s EDA market is projected to reach 18.5 billion yuan (USD 2.55 billion) next year, up from 9.3 billion yuan in 2020. As the market seems to be booming, X-Epic’s reported layoff highlights the challenges China’s EDA companies are facing.

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(Photo credit: X-Epic)

One major challenge for China’s IC design industry is the lack of advanced domestic Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools. Due to US export controls, suppliers like Cadence and Synopsys are unable to provide chip design software to China. Additionally, the absence of domestic EDA tools capable of operating on Chinese-made CPUs adds further pressure.

However, according to a report from TechNews, there are signs of change. Chinese company X-Epic has introduced the first EDA software capable of running on domestically produced processors in China, potentially breaking through existing limitations.

As per a report from Tom’s Hardware, at the Kunpeng Developer Day on April 25, 2024, X-Epic presented the latest developments in China’s domestic chip design software EDA.

This platform is compatible with Huawei’s Kunpeng server processors based on Armv8 architecture and also supports Phytium’s Phytium processors based on SPARCv9 architecture. This represents a significant advancement for China’s semiconductor design industry, enabling domestic chip designers to conduct chip design and simulation using local software only.

X-Epic stated that they provide a comprehensive suite of chip design software EDA tools covering various aspects such as digital chip verification, hardware simulation, system debugging, and cloud-based verification. Extensive adaptation and optimization have already been completed, including adaptation to compilation environments, C++/ASM compilation, cmake compilation scripts, and third-party function libraries. The focus of application lies particularly on Huawei’s Kunpeng platform.

X-Epic has indicated that, through tools like GalaxSim and GalaxFV, X-Epic achieved 2 to 3 times performance enhancements in multiple customer test cases on Huawei’s high-performance Kunpeng server clusters compared to non-optimized software. These enhanced capabilities have notably reduced simulation testing times and improved efficiency in system-level chip simulation verification. However, there is currently no information available regarding test results for Phytium’s Phytium processors.

Overall, this collaboration not only strengthens Huawei’s Kunpeng ecosystem but also provides a comprehensive chip design software EDA solution for China’s domestic semiconductor industry.

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(Photo credit: X-Epic)