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....