Synopsys, Inc., a world leader in software and IP for semiconductor design and manufacturing and KACST, the King Abdulaziz City of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia, today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to form a Center of Excellence for Nanoelectronic Design at KACST. This memorandum also includes plans for creating a hub that can provide advanced electronic design automation (EDA) software and curriculum to Saudi Arabia’s universities. The goal of the collaboration is to enable the development of a nanoelectronics-based ecosystem in Saudi Arabia. 

KACST and Synopsys plan to support this objective by enabling a KACST Center of Excellence for Nanoelectronic Design, which would include a nanotechnology and nanoelectronics infrastructure, state-of-the-art computing environment, electronic design environment and nanoelectronics design flow, and advanced training and staffing by experienced Synopsys or Synopsys-trained personnel.

Synopsys and KACST intend for the KACST Center of Excellence for Nanoelectronic Design to serve as a central point of contact for Saudi universities and research centers, facilitating access to Synopsys’ advanced EDA software and curriculum and providing world-class industry seminars, workshops and conferences. The Center is also expected to maintain productive relationships with world class electronics companies.

“KACST, in its implementation of the national Science Technology and Innovation Policy, works with leading organizations in the world. We believe that partnering with Synopsys, a world leader in this field, will benefit the research community in the Kingdom and facilitate the utilization of advanced technological services that will be provided through our joint Center of Excellence.”  said Prince Turki ibn Saud ibn Mohammed of Saudi Arabia.

“As the leader in electronic design automation, Synopsys carefully chooses to collaborate with entities that are also leaders. KACST is an R&D leader in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and a natural teammate for us as we develop our presence in the Kingdom and work to bring the world’s most advanced EDA technology to its universities and advanced research organizations,” said Rich Goldman, vice president of Corporate Marketing and Strategic Alliances at Synopsys. “We welcome the opportunity to work with KACST to help promote a knowledge-based society in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

About KACST

King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) is an independent scientific organization administratively reporting to the Prime Minister. KACST is both the Saudi Arabian national science agency and its national laboratories. The science agency function involves science and technology policy making, data collection, funding of external research, and services such as the patent office. KACST has currently over 2500 employees. Visit KACST online at http://www.kacst.edu.sa/.

About Synopsys

Synopsys, Inc. is the world leader in electronic design automation (EDA), supplying the global electronics market with the software, intellectual property (IP) and services used in semiconductor design and manufacturing. Synopsys' comprehensive, integrated portfolio of implementation, verification, IP, manufacturing and field-programmable gate array (FPGA) solutions helps address the key challenges designers and manufacturers face today, such as power and yield management, software-to-silicon verification and time-to-results. These technology-leading solutions help give Synopsys customers a competitive edge in bringing the best products to market quickly while reducing costs and schedule risk. Synopsys is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and has more than 60 offices located throughout North America, Europe, Japan, Asia and India. Visit Synopsys online at http://www.synopsys.com/.

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