Synopsys is supporting partner Hewlett Packard Enterprise as it participates in the recently announced federal Quantum Benchmarking Initiative. (Getty Images)
www.fierceelectronics.com, May. 06, 2025 –
Bits are not qubits, and quantum computing is not classical computing, but efforts to develop practically useful and commercially viable quantum computers and processors–and manufacture them at scale–have much to gain from traditional semiconductor design and production techniques, like electronic design automation (EDA).
That translates to an emerging opportunity for companies like Synopsys, which specializes in EDA tools, circuit design, systems verification, and related offerings. Synopsys officials recently acknowledged the company is playing a supporting role in the quantum computing efforts of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, which last month was chosen for the first stage of the Quantum Benchmarking Initiative being run by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Synopsys also is working alongside quantum computing startups Qolab, Quantum Machines, and 1QBit, as well as Applied Materials and the University of Wisconsin.
In the emerging quantum sector, the work Synopsys is doing amounts to the same kind of design enablement role the company has played for the likes of TSMC, Intel, AMD, and others in the traditional semiconductor space.
“To some extent, it [quantum computing] is business as usual for us,” said Synopsys Principal Engineer John Sorebo, in a recent interview with Fierce Electronics. “Whether it be quantum dot or spin qubits, like at Intel or Diraq, or superconducting qubits, like at IBM or Google, or topological qubits like at Microsoft, regardless which modality you're talking about, somewhere in there are semiconductor processes, whether at the qubit hardware level, the control level, or even in error correction and in software… We don't necessarily make chips ourselves or design chips ourselves, but we assist in that process, and make tools available for it.”
Synopsys Distinguished Architect Igor Markov added, “For some quantum computing technologies, the way qubits are implemented also requires integrated circuits, and that also relies on the fabrication technologies that are already available. So, some of our tools that we are offering right now, they can be adjusted and adapted to the design of qubits.”
But Markov also said that at a level above circuit design, quantum data, or “atomic-scale data,” changes how compilers work to assemble the programming instruction sets that are needed to enable manufacturing of quantum computers and processors at scale. Synopsys already is addressing the need for atomic-scale modeling software with its QuantumATK Atomic Simulation Software, and its work in the field also extends to new algorithm development and supporting cryogenic CMOS circuit design, which is essential in quantum computing modalities like superconducting, which require operation at extremely low temperatures.
Markov was a professor at the University of Michigan, and did research in quantum and AI fields for many years before joining Synopsys. He said that while the quantum computing revolution is being led by many scientists with backgrounds in physics and theoretical computing, “understanding of how conventional chips are designed is fairly rare in the field of quantum computing. So we are in a very good position to support these ambitious efforts at multiple companies, and we can probably do this more efficiently, because we can reuse this effort and offer tools to support multiple customers.”
During a quantum computing-focused panel at the recent Synopsys Executive Forum event, Qolab CTO John Martinis, said, “When we simulate [quantum] devices, it's mostly electromagnetic simulation. Because of the way the devices are built, it's really hard to simulate that, and Synopsys has experience in GPU cluster computing and breaking up the problem properly.”
While the expected timeline for commercially viable and practically useful quantum computing has been a subject of much debate lately, Sorebo and Markov didn’t offer their own predictions, only the belief that the capabilities Synopsys provides ultimately could shorten the timeline for some companies.
“Let’s say someone gives you blueprints to build a house,” Sorebo said. “How long will it take to build this house? Well, how many people do you have? Is the architectural design structurally sound? There are a lot of variables associated with this [quantum].”
He went on to say that with quantum computing, some industries are focusing on different applications than others, and that could be viable earlier, and that different companies might use different metrics to define what “useful” means. “The devil is in the details,” he concluded.
Markov added. “It's very hard to predict breakthroughs, but it’s important to understand what's missing, right? So we are looking at this from the perspective of where we can add value, and when we see something is missing in terms of tools and algorithms and design methodologies, that's a good opportunity for us.”