Blaze DFM and Aprio Technologies announce agreement to merge
Blaze DFM announced that they have signed a letter of intent to merge with Aprio Technologies.. The integration of Aprio's analysis and simulation engines into the Blaze product line enables Blaze to offer the industry a comprehensive electrical DFM solution. Financial terms of the agreement were not announced. The merger is expected to be finalised within the next few weeks.
"In the last couple of years, we've seen some DFM companies absorbed by either equipment manufacturers or by EDA companies," said Jacob Jacobsson, president and CEO at Blaze. "We believe that a pure play DFM company, one that understands both design and manufacturing, adds significant value to the semiconductor eco-system. Blaze's business is booming and our sales pipeline is exceptionally strong. These factors, together with the strength of Aprio's technology, are what propelled this merger."
The merged company will retain the name, Blaze DFM, Inc. and will be headquartered at Blaze's current location in Sunnyvale, California. The company will retain Aprio's international offices in Japan and Taiwan. Dr. Clive Wu, Aprio's co-founder and CEO, joins Dr. Andrew B. Kahng, co-founder and chairman at Blaze, in the Office of the Chief Technologist. Mark Fournival, vice president of worldwide sales at Aprio, becomes vice president of sales. All remaining Blaze executives will retain their current titles and responsibilities.
"This merger is a huge win for our customers," said Dr. Wu. "It is evident that our visions for DFM are in complete alignment, and that our technologies are complementary. This helps significantly in accelerating the realization of our collective vision."
"Aprio's technology is accurate enough for signoff litho simulation and fast enough for design optimization," said Dr. Andrew B. Kahng, co-founder, chairman and Chief Technologist at Blaze. "The combination of Aprio and Blaze will result in complete electrical DFM solution."
