Siemens Buys into Machine Learning Tools That Refine Chips

Siemens, to supplement its acquisition of Mentor Graphics, said that it had bought Solido Design Automation, whose software tools use machine learning to chisel rough edges off complex chip designs, optimizing power consumption and verifying that the chips are ready to be manufactured. The acquisition is another smoke signal signifying that Siemens wants to expand into software tools for chips and circuit boards used in everything from factory equipment to airplanes to self-driving cars. Last year, the industrial juggernaut paid $4.5 billion for Mentor Graphics, one of the three major plays in electronic design automation. Solido, like Mentor Graphics, will be folded into the product life cycle management software business of Siemens' digital factory division. The Plano, Texas-based group sells software to help manage the life cycle of products like electric vehicles and wind turbines, from design to production to service to disposal.