Close-up of an empty printed circuit board, PCB, in Verl, Germany.<\/p>\n
Ute Grabowsky | Photothek | Getty Images<\/p>\n
The U.S. government has rescinded its export restrictions on chip-design software to China, semiconductor software companies Synopsys<\/a> and Cadence<\/a> announced Thursday.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Synopsys is working to restore access to the recently restricted products in China,” the California-based software maker said in a statement<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Its rival, Cadence, confirmed with CNBC that the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security, which falls under the Department of Commerce, had reversed the export restrictions.<\/p>\n “We are in the process of restoring access to our software and technology to affected customers in compliance with US export laws,” a Cadence spokesperson said.<\/p>\n The U.S. Commerce Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNBC.<\/p>\n The U.S. had reportedly<\/a> told several chip design software companies on May 23 that they were required to obtain licenses before exporting goods, such as software and chemicals for semiconductors, to China.\u00a0<\/p>\n Other software providers impacted by the ban include Siemens EDA, an American subsidiary of Germany’s Siemens. Siemens has also reportedly<\/a> been told it can resume its China business<\/a>.<\/p>\n Shares of Synopsys and Cadence rose more than 6% and 7% respectively, in overnight trading on the Robinhood trading platform after the export curbs were lifted.<\/p>\n The three firms are considered part of the U.S.-dominated electronic design automation (EDA) market, which encompasses software, hardware, and essential services for designing chips and semiconductor devices.<\/p>\n According to TrendForce, Synopsys, Cadence, and Siemens EDA held a global market share of 31%, 30%, and 13%, respectively, in 2024.<\/p>\n