What IC Manage does

IC Manage, Inc. is a privately held semiconductor design data management company founded in 2003 and headquartered in Campbell, California. The company provides enterprise software for managing the design, IP, and verification data of complex SoCs, ICs, FPGAs, and software-driven chip designs, serving more than 40 major semiconductor and systems companies worldwide including NVIDIA, AMD, Samsung, Microsoft, Infineon, NXP, Broadcom, Xilinx, and Viasat. Its core product, GDP-AI (formerly GDP-XL), is an AI-enhanced global design and IP management system built on a relational database architecture with the Perforce Fast SCM System as its engine, supporting transaction-based real-time worldwide delivery and scaling to over 100 million IP components. The platform is complemented by GDP-AI for Virtuoso (tight Cadence Virtuoso integration for custom IC design), GDP-AI for IP Lifecycle Management (silicon lifecycle management), Holodeck (block-based I/O scale-out with NVMe caching for hybrid cloud bursting to AWS, Azure, and GCP), Envision (real-time verification analytics on big data), and IP Central (Google-like searchable IP catalog at 100M+ object scale). AI capabilities embedded in the 2026 GDP-AI release include generative AI workflows for IP packaging, agentic AI for multi-step automation, natural language querying, and semantic search.

IC Manage sells through a direct enterprise field sales motion targeting engineering leadership, CAD managers, and design teams at semiconductor companies, with regional sales offices across the USA (Silicon Valley, Austin, East Coast), UK, Germany, Israel, Japan, Korea, China, and Taiwan. The revenue model is built on enterprise software licenses and subscriptions (recurring, quote-based, multi-year) supplemented by professional services for deployment, Python automation framework development, and customer-specific customization. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The company has been independently held since founding — founder Shiv Sikand serves as Executive VP and co-founder Dean Drako (previously founder/CEO of Barracuda Networks and Design Acceleration, sold to Cadence) serves as President and CEO. IC Manage has not disclosed external institutional funding and has remained privately held throughout its history. The company has received sustained industry recognition including Deloitte Technology Fast 500 (2013), Goldman Sachs 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs (Dean Drako, 2014), and multiple DAC #1 Must-See awards (2011, 2015, 2018).

Name

IC Manage

Legal name

IC Manage, Inc.

Website

https://icmanage.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Semiconductor Design Data Management

NAICS

Software Publishers (51321), Software Publishers (5132), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

AI Application Enablement Platforms (Copilot/Agent Frameworks, SDKs) (HDAEANAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Managed Application Platforms (App PaaS & Runtime Services) (HDABAAAD)

Keywords

• Design data management
• Semiconductor IP management
• EDA cloud bursting
• Verification analytics software
• IC design collaboration

Headquarters

HQ city

Campbell

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Software Licenses and Subscriptions: Enterprise software licenses for design data management, IP management, and related products. Likely sold as annual or multi-year subscriptions with support and maintenance included. Pricing is quote-based for enterprise customers.
2. Professional Services: Customer deployment support including collaboration on Python-based automation frameworks, post-sales support, and customization services. Application Engineer role specifically focuses on presales demonstrations, customer deployment support, and writing/maintaining scripts for customer silicon design flows.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IC Manage develops and sells enterprise design data management and IP lifecycle management software for semiconductor and systems companies. Its flagship GDP-AI platform uses a relational database and Perforce SCM engine to provide AI-enhanced, transaction-based, real-time worldwide delivery of design data, plus modules for Cadence Virtuoso custom IC management, IP cataloging (IP Central), high-speed hybrid cloud bursting (Holodeck), and big-data verification analytics (Envision). The platform supports multi-site global collaboration across hundreds to thousands of users and scales to over 100 million IP components.

Product overview

IC Manage offers a unified platform architecture for semiconductor design data and IP management. The core product is GDP-AI (Global Design Platform - AI), an AI-driven design and IP management system that embeds AI into engineering workflows. This core platform is complemented by specialized modules: GDP-AI for Virtuoso (tight Cadence integration for custom IC design), GDP-AI for IP Lifecycle Management (comprehensive IP lifecycle handling), Holodeck (high-speed I/O scale-out for cloud bursting), and Envision (real-time verification analytics). IP Central provides searchable IP libraries at 100M+ object scale. The portfolio evolved from GDP-XL (now succeeded by GDP-AI) and includes Views for storage acceleration. The platform supports multi-site collaboration, hybrid cloud bursting (AWS, Azure, GCP), and integrates with EDA tools including Cadence Virtuoso, Synopsys VCS and PrimeTime, and Ansys Redhawk-SC.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GDP-AI: AI-enhanced global design and IP management system for semiconductor design teams, featuring natural language interface, workflow automation, and semantic search capabilities.
• Holodeck
• Envision
• IP Central

Products and services

• GDP-AI (Global Design Platform - AI) AI-driven design and IP management system for semiconductor design teams, embedding AI into the design workflow with a centralized natural language interface for live project insights, workflow code generation, and unified access to technical knowledge. Scales to over 100 million IP components and thousands of users across multi-site global designs.
• GDP-AI for Virtuoso Design and IP management system specifically for Cadence Virtuoso custom IC design, tightly integrated to give analog, mixed-signal, RF, standard cell, and memory designers version control, workspace management, and intuitive navigation across libraries, cell views, schematics, layouts, symbols, and simulation data.
• GDP-AI for IP Lifecycle Management Complete IP lifecycle management system and design data backbone for silicon lifecycle management, enabling AI-driven workflows for IP packaging, support, and discovery at scale and integrating with Jira, enterprise SSO, OpenAccess, and Git.
• Holodeck High speed I/O scale out solution that increases I/O capacity and eliminates file system bottlenecks for fast hybrid and multi-cloud bursting as well as for private data centers. Uses block-based storage (not file-based) and NVMe peer-to-peer caching, transferring only the exact data needed for jobs on demand.
• Envision Real-time progress analytics platform using big data technology to report on design and verification progress, providing visual reporting on millions of data points across billions of records in near real time, including bottleneck identification and root cause analysis.
• IP Central Searchable design IP libraries and catalog system that enables design teams to rapidly publish and reuse internal and third-party IP, with Google-like search interface and powerful IP catalog filters. Scales to 100M+ IP objects and integrates with all commercial design management systems and Git-compatible systems.
• IC Manage Views Version-aware virtual file system that presents complete workspace views while only transferring data on demand to a local file cache. Achieves Zero-Time Sync for workspaces and reduces storage utilization.
• GDP-XL Global Design Platform - the predecessor to GDP-AI - previously positioned as the industry's highest performance, most reliable and scalable global design data and IP management system for single and multi-site semiconductor design collaboration.

Quantifiable outcome

• 31% reduction in engineering resources
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

AI capability9 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Library TechnologiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 April 2023Partnership to accelerate library characterization by 100x in the cloud using IC Manage Holodeck for cloud bursting and Library Technologies' library characterization expertise.
• AlteracoreTechnology or Integration · 9 August 2012Multi-year license agreement for IC Manage Global Design Platform (GDP), including IP Central, for use across Altera's worldwide development sites. Altera adopted IC Manage to achieve higher IP reuse, trace bug interdependencies, and improve multi-site collaboration for programmable logic device development.
• Perforce SoftwarecoreTechnology or Integration · 24 May 2004Exclusive arrangement where IC Manage incorporates the Perforce Fast SCM System as its core database engine. Perforce provides the efficient and powerful database foundation that has proven extremely reliable and robust for large deployments. Christopher Seawald, President and CTO of Perforce, is on IC Manage's board.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreTechnology or IntegrationAWS provides cloud infrastructure for IC Manage Holodeck cloud bursting deployments. Holodeck is available on AWS Marketplace for instant cloud bursting. AMD uses IC Manage Holodeck with AWS for VCS verification flows and PrimeTime timing analysis.
• Cadence Design SystemscoreTechnology or IntegrationIC Manage GDP-AI for Virtuoso provides tight integration with Cadence Virtuoso for custom IC, analog, mixed-signal, RF, standard cell, and memory designers. GDP-AI is positioned as the de facto standard for teams doing design and IP management for custom IC design in Cadence Virtuoso.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Synopsys: Synopsys is a top-three EDA vendor with EDA tools and IP offerings, and has integrated ClioSoft's design data management. Its full-flow strategy and IC Validator/Design Platform family compete for the same chip design dollars as IC Manage.
• Dassault Systèmes (ENOVIA): Dassault's 3DEXPERIENCE/ENOVIA platform provides PLM and IP lifecycle management used by large electronics and semiconductor companies, competing for the IP and silicon lifecycle management wallet that GDP-AI targets.
• PTC (Windchill): PTC's Windchill PLM platform manages product and design data across hardware and software lifecycles, overlapping with IC Manage's IP and design data management at semiconductor and systems customers.
• Cadence Design Systems: Cadence is a top-three EDA vendor whose Virtuoso and digital design platforms are central to IC Manage's custom IC integration. Cadence also acquired Design Acceleration (Dean Drako's prior company) and could expand into adjacent DDM capabilities.
• Siemens EDA (formerly Mentor Graphics): Siemens EDA is a top-three EDA vendor offering a broad suite of IC design tools. Its Calibre and Tessent platforms touch design data management, and the company has shown interest in consolidating workflow tools - including DDM-adjacent capabilities.

Emerging players

• GitLab: GitLab is increasingly used by hardware and SoC teams for source control, CI/CD, and security scanning, with growing LFS support for large binaries. It represents an open, platform-native alternative for portions of IC Manage's IP management workflow.

Direct peers

• Methodics: Methodics provides IP lifecycle management and design data management for IC and SoC design, including IP cataloging, version control, and project lifecycle. It is one of the closest direct competitors to GDP-AI and IP Central.
• ClioSoft (Synopsys): ClioSoft was the most direct competitor in IC/SoC design data management and IP reuse, and was acquired by Synopsys in 2022. It offered SOS Design Data Management, directly comparable to GDP-AI for IP lifecycle management.
• Perforce Software: IC Manage's core technology partner and SCM engine provider. Perforce also sells Helix Core for version control in game dev and enterprise, overlapping with the same SCM and large-binary management workflows IC Manage builds on top of.

Others

• Atlassian (Jira + Bitbucket): Atlassian's Bitbucket and Jira are commonly used by semiconductor teams for code and issue tracking, and integrate with IC Manage. While not a direct DDM competitor, they represent a low-cost alternative for some IP and design tracking workflows.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/icmanage
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/102012

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IC Manage