Synopsys, the maker of software used to design computing chips, said on Wednesday it has struck a deal to share revenue with OpenAI as the two develop an artificial intelligence model for the chip business.
The model, to be called GPT-Synopsys, will be specifically trained and tuned to take on chip design tasks — from describing a chip's circuits in a code-like language to working out how to lay out billions of transistors on a small square of silicon. OpenAI's model will learn how to use Synopsys software tools to help engineers work through the trade-offs and optimisations of the design process "to be able to shave off weeks, months from the design process and to bring more chips to the world," OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman said in a video announcing the news.
Synopsys unveiled the deal at an investor summit, where chief executive Sassine Ghazi also said the company now expects 15% revenue growth for its fiscal 2027 — above analyst estimates of 11.19% growth, according to LSEG data. Shares rose as much as 7% after the partnership and forecast announcements.
In an interview, Ghazi told Reuters that OpenAI will pay Synopsys a training subscription fee for learning to use its tools. When Synopsys customers use the product, the two companies will share revenue based on how well the model improves the design of a chip.
"We structured the agreement in a way that it will not be cannibalizing our business," Ghazi said. "It will be an upside to our business given we're delivering more value to the customer."
He added that GPT-Synopsys's work will still be double-checked by Synopsys tools that use traditional computing techniques to verify whether a chip will actually work. "The model needs these guardrails in order to check the physics," Ghazi said. "The need for validating with the highest level of fidelity, what we call sign-off or ground truth, is essential."
The deal is a co-development partnership with revenue sharing, distinct from the separate licensing arrangements chip-design firms have signed in recent months.
Sources:
https://www.reuters.com/business/sy...develop-ai-model-chip-design-work-2026-09-30/
The model, to be called GPT-Synopsys, will be specifically trained and tuned to take on chip design tasks — from describing a chip's circuits in a code-like language to working out how to lay out billions of transistors on a small square of silicon. OpenAI's model will learn how to use Synopsys software tools to help engineers work through the trade-offs and optimisations of the design process "to be able to shave off weeks, months from the design process and to bring more chips to the world," OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman said in a video announcing the news.
Synopsys unveiled the deal at an investor summit, where chief executive Sassine Ghazi also said the company now expects 15% revenue growth for its fiscal 2027 — above analyst estimates of 11.19% growth, according to LSEG data. Shares rose as much as 7% after the partnership and forecast announcements.
In an interview, Ghazi told Reuters that OpenAI will pay Synopsys a training subscription fee for learning to use its tools. When Synopsys customers use the product, the two companies will share revenue based on how well the model improves the design of a chip.
"We structured the agreement in a way that it will not be cannibalizing our business," Ghazi said. "It will be an upside to our business given we're delivering more value to the customer."
He added that GPT-Synopsys's work will still be double-checked by Synopsys tools that use traditional computing techniques to verify whether a chip will actually work. "The model needs these guardrails in order to check the physics," Ghazi said. "The need for validating with the highest level of fidelity, what we call sign-off or ground truth, is essential."
The deal is a co-development partnership with revenue sharing, distinct from the separate licensing arrangements chip-design firms have signed in recent months.
Sources:
https://www.reuters.com/business/sy...develop-ai-model-chip-design-work-2026-09-30/
