PTC sells ThingWorx+Kepware to TPG
PTC and TPG announced last night that PTC is selling Kepware and ThingWorx to TPG to "provide the businesses with additional capital and expertise to accelerate growth and further their leadership to meet the evolving connectivity and data needs of manufacturing...
When AI isn’t just a tool, it’s a partner: Pricing the value
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about Autodesk introducing outcome-based pricing for (some, all?) of its AI offerings. I wrote, This makes sense when we consider the AI products Autodesk is planning to bring to market; for example, describing a building and having a...
Bluebeam Unbound 2025: AI, MagicWand, and why user conferences rock
Have I mentioned how much I love user conferences? They’re hands-down my favorite type of event. Investor and analyst gatherings may be more focused, but they can’t match the energy of users charging into an event space with flags waving, cheers erupting, and...
Polymer printing, virtual factories, and a $5 billion bet on physical AI
I haven’t had time for a full news roundup lately, but here are a few items that caught my eye—presented in no particular order: 3D Systems is reshaping its software portfolio, announcing plans to divest the Oqton Manufacturing Operating System (MOS) and 3DXpert, its...
Autodesk wants you to pay for outcomes, not just access
Autodesk held its bi-annual investor event yesterday, and much of it was product-related, a repeat of what we heard at Autodesk University. One thing that became clearer yesterday, though, was how Autodesk will shift its licensing model yet again to include more...
Quick catchup: Ajai Gopal to join Procore, Desktop Metal finds a home, CAE partners merge, more AI
A lot is going on (is there ever not?), so here are a few bits and pieces you might find interesting: I don't usually write about executive transitions, but this one is noteworthy: Former Ansys CEO Ajai Gopal has been appointed CEO Designate of Procore, the...
Are CAD Tools Really That Cheap?
During Bentley Systems’ recent earnings call, former CEO and current Chairman Greg Bentley told investors that his company could expand its total addressable market by enhancing its products and charging more for them. To make the case, he referenced this 2019 data:...
Cadence expands CAE portfolio with $3.25B MSC Software deal
Cadence announced yesterday that it will acquire Hexagon’s Design and Engineering (D&E) business—including MSC Software—for €2.7 billion (~$3.25 billion). The deal is a mix of cash (€1.89 billion) and stock (€810 million), valuing the business at roughly 10x...
The reality of AI: Costs and adoption challenges
I've come across two interesting reports that highlight how confusing the world of AI is right now -- token prices aren't doing what we thought they would. Adoption also hasn't yet had the effects we were hoping to see. Perhaps the only good news: An MIT study found...
PLMish earnings so far: mostly cautious but upbeat
Bentley Systems and Trimble reported results yesterday, so while we have weeks to go still in this earnings season, it seems reasonable to do a recap of the main themes so far. As you may know, I listen to a lot of earnings for the end-buyers of our PLMish...
Desktop Metal files for bankruptcy protection
In case you're just tuning in, there is a long saga of consolidation in the additive manufacturing space. Nano Dimension tried to buy Desktop Metal and Markforged and ultimately succeeded, but has been rebuffed by Stratasys several times since 2023. All of this...
It’s done: Ansys is part of Synopsys
We knew it was coming, but it's still a bit of a shock: Synopsys announced today that has completed its $35 billion acquisition of Ansys. Synopsys CEO Sassine Ghazi said, "Today marks a transformational milestone for Synopsys. For decades, Synopsys has been delivering...
Autodesk says it’s sticking to tuck-in acquisitions
And the news just keeps coming on what is supposed to be a sleepy summer Monday … unless you're in France, where it's Bastille Day. Autodesk just released a filing to the SEC (here on Autodesk's website) that is short and to the point: We are confident in our plans to...
China finally grants approval for Synopsys+Ansys
Reuters and other news outlets are reporting that the Chinese State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) has approved Synopsys' acquisition of Ansys, subject to the following conditions: Synopsys must divest its Optical Solutions Group (OSG) business, and Ansys...
Bloomberg: Autodesk thinking about buying PTC
Late yesterday, Bloomberg reported that Autodesk Inc. is weighing an acquisition of rival engineering-software provider PTC Inc., according to people familiar with the matter.PTC is also drawing interest from other industry players, and no final decision has been made...
US Chip EDA sales can resume in China
I genuinely dislike headlines like this, from Reuters this morning: "As trade war truce with China holds, US lifts curbs for chip design software and ethane," because it very much sounds like the restrictions could be reversed at any time. But for now, the U.S....
Uhoh: China may be blocking Ansys + Synopsys
According to a couple of news outlets (here and here, for example), Chinese regulators have now blocked Synopsys's acquisition of Ansys because, the reports say, the US banned US EDA makers from selling in China. Shares of Synopsys and Ansys are both down on the news....
Movement in the EDA/China saga?
News is out this morning that some access to US EDA has been restored in China. I can't find anything from the EDA vendors themselves, but various outlets (here, citing Digitimes, which is behind a paywall; here, a tweet in English discussing a Chinese blogger's post...
Siemens’ update on US China EDA ban – and I have thoughts. Of course I do.
If you recall, last week, the news broke that the US Bureau of Industry and Security (part of the Department of Commerce) had sent letters to Cadence, Siemens, and Synopsys telling them to stop selling specific EDA tools in China. The BIS is concerned that these...
Let’s talk about AI
I'm seeing two very different strategies as engineering/design/manufacturing/construction companies think about artificial intelligence: On the one hand, many bigger companies have teams (usually in IT) who stay on top of machine learning, large language models, and...
