What Cellix Software does

Cellix Software (北京芯愿景软件技术股份有限公司) is a Beijing-headquartered, privately-held IC services and EDA software company founded in 2002. The company operates three interconnected business pillars: (1) proprietary EDA software comprising eight product lines and 40+ tools (including Filmshop, Panovas Pro, Catalysis Series, ChipLogic Family, Hierux System, BoolSmart, DesignSmart, and VeriSmart) written in over 3 million lines of C++ and built around a proprietary HDB database engine; (2) IC analysis and design services spanning process analysis, circuit extraction, competitive teardown, patent infringement analysis, prior art search, patent valuation, ASIC/SoC turnkey design, custom layout, and security/reliability hardening; and (3) licensable IP cores (Securax, Gemini, Taurus) and the IPBrain big data platform hosting 13,000+ chip technology and patent reports. Technical capability extends to 3nm process nodes with project scale of 100 billion+ transistors and 20 metal layers.

The company serves a horizontal customer base that includes IC design enterprises (over 1,000 served), integrated device manufacturers, electronic product system manufacturers, courts and judicial appraisal institutions, law firms, and academic research institutes, with a claimed reach spanning over half of the world's leading semiconductor manufacturers. Operations are distributed across Beijing headquarters, Tianjin (30,000 sqm, established 2010), Baoding (established 2008), and Taiyuan, employing nearly 1,000 people. Go-to-market combines direct enterprise sales, recurring conference participation (ICCAD, ASPENCORE summits, IPBC Asia, IC China), multi-city technical roadshows, and the self-service IPBrain online platform.

Cellix generates revenue through a mix of EDA software licensing (project-based and periodic authorization, 40,000+ authorizations cumulative), professional services for IC analysis and design (including IP litigation support), IP core licensing, and emerging self-service report sales via IPBrain. The firm is ISO 9001:2015 certified, holds national-level 核高基 (core electronic器件/high-end通用芯片/基础软件产品) special project designation, and converted to a joint-stock company in October 2019, receiving funding from Harvest Capital in 2020.

Name

Cellix Software

Legal name

北京芯愿景软件技术股份有限公司

Website

https://cellixsoft.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cellix Software is a Beijing-based IC services and EDA software company founded in 2002, providing proprietary EDA tools, IC analysis and reverse-engineering services, ASIC/SoC design, IP litigation support, and licensable IP cores to semiconductor companies, courts, and research institutes across China and globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electronic Design Automation (EDA) Software

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

EDA Cloud/SaaS, Design Data Management & Collaboration (HDAHAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

IP Enablement, Characterization & Porting Services (HDAHAFAI), Hardware/Chip Design IP Cores (Processor, Interface, Analog, Security) (HDAHAFAF), EDA Software Platforms (Digital Implementation, Verification & Signoff) (HDAHAFAA)

Keywords

• EDA software
• IC analysis services
• IC design services
• Semiconductor IP analysis
• ASIC SoC design

Headquarters

HQ city

Beijing

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. IC Analysis Services: Provides IC technical analysis services including circuit extraction and analysis, process analysis, competitive analysis; IP services including patent infringement analysis, layout design infringement analysis, IP valuation, and prior art search. Services provided to IC design companies, IDMs, research institutes, courts, and law firms.
2. IC Design Services: ASIC/SoC design services including turnkey services, custom layout design and verification, security optimization design, reliability enhancement design, mass production outsourcing, and IP licensing (Securax IP, Gemini IP, Taurus IP).
3. EDA Software Authorization: Licensing of eight EDA software product lines (40+ software products) covering IC process analysis, circuit analysis, IP analysis, digital/analog circuit design, and design verification. Authorization modes include project-based licensing and periodic licensing. Over 40,000 authorizations issued.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cellix Software provides proprietary EDA software tools and IC (integrated circuit) analysis and design services for the semiconductor industry. Its offerings span eight EDA software product lines covering IC image processing, circuit analysis, IP analysis, digital/analog circuit design, and layout verification, plus professional services including IC reverse engineering, patent infringement analysis, layout design analysis, competitive intelligence, ASIC/SoC turnkey design, and proprietary IP cores (Securax, Gemini, Taurus).

Product overview

Cellix Software (北京芯愿景软件技术股份有限公司) operates as a high-tech IC service company built on three interconnected pillars: (1) Proprietary EDA Software — eight software product lines totaling 40+ tools covering the full IC lifecycle: Filmshop and Panovas Pro (microscopic image acquisition and processing), Catalysis Series (automated circuit recognition via computer vision and deep learning), ChipLogic Family and Hierux System (circuit extraction and analysis), BoolSmart System and DesignSmart System (IC design and optimization), and VeriSmart System (layout verification). (2) IC Analysis and Design Services — process analysis, circuit extraction and analysis, competitive analysis, IP analysis (patent infringement, layout design infringement, prior art search, PPM, patent valuation), ASIC/SoC turnkey design, custom layout, security/reliability hardening design, and mass production outsourcing. (3) IP Cores — Securax IP (security), Gemini IP (industrial IoT), and Taurus IP (general-purpose foundation). (4) IPBrain Big Data Platform — an IC intelligence platform with 13,000+ chip technology and patent reports. The company is headquartered in Beijing with subsidiaries in Tianjin, Baoding, and Taiyuan, employing nearly 1,000 people.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IPBrain: Integrated circuit big data platform providing advanced chip technology information, patent information, and market dynamics analysis. Platform covers processor, memory, sensor, wireless, RF and other fields with 13,000+ accumulated reports.

Products and services

• Filmshop First-generation microscopic image acquisition and processing system supporting optical and electron microscope large-scale image acquisition, IC panoramic image same-layer seamless stitching, and inter-layer precise alignment. Designed for 4TB-level image acquisition, 65nm and above processes, and ten-million-gate-scale IC image processing.
• Panovas Pro Next-generation microscopic image processing system using 64-bit storage address space and virtualized real-time processing technology. Supports 4nm and above processes and 4TB-level IC image processing.
• Catalysis Series High-performance image automatic algorithm system that models analog and digital circuit basic layout structures using computer vision and deep learning. Automatically identifies interconnects, vias, analog devices, and digital cells with over 99% recognition rate for ultra-large-scale digital circuits.
• ChipLogic Family IC analysis and redesign system for netlist extraction and circuit analysis, suitable for chips with simple hierarchical structures. Automatically completes netlist extraction, cell area definition, digital cell and analog device definition, and flat circuit diagram generation.
• Hierux System IC analysis and verification system based on a proprietary HDB database engine, suitable for complex hierarchical SoC products. Provides 400-million-gate circuit automatic extraction and 20-million-gate circuit automatic organization. Used for IC technical analysis, IP analysis, netlist extraction, circuit reorganization, layout similarity comparison, and data delivery.
• BoolSmart System IC design optimization system providing circuit-level optimization design for digital and custom circuits. Based on a proprietary HDB database engine, it supports digital circuit analysis, routing, signal analysis and optimization, and visual debugging.
• DesignSmart System Custom IC intelligent design system based on a proprietary HDB database engine. Provides full-featured hierarchical custom circuit and layout design capabilities for analog circuits, mixed-signal circuits, memory circuits, and FPGA design.
• VeriSmart System Real-time layout verification system for real-time layout verification and computation. Supports advanced process complex layout design rules for 16nm to 180nm process nodes. Embeddable into BoolSmart Innovator and DesignSmart Builder.
• Patent Infringement Analysis Service (专利侵权分析) Patent infringement analysis services including circuit patent, manufacturing process patent, structural patent, packaging patent, and system patent infringement analysis. Provides product disassembly and analysis, claim decomposition, feature-to-claim comparison, and comparison analysis reports for IC design companies, IDMs, courts, and law firms.
• Layout Design Infringement Analysis Service (布图设计侵权分析) Layout design infringement analysis including originality analysis (independence and whether it constitutes conventional design) and similarity analysis. Uses proprietary layout design similarity judgment model and IPnumen Series software for similarity comparison.
• Patent-to-Product Mapping Service (PPM, 专利产品映射) PPM service analyzes infringement relevance between multiple patents and products provided by users, excluding patents and products not requiring further analysis. Helps clients quickly identify one-to-many, many-to-one, and many-to-many matching relationships at low cost for patent litigation and patent transaction decision support.
• Prior Art Search Service (现有技术查询) Prior art search service using the proprietary IPsense search engine to quickly and accurately retrieve prior art from 40,000+ online product databases. Used for patent invalidation, pre-patent application search, and patent litigation support.
• Patent Valuation Service (专利估值) Patent valuation service assessing IP rights including patents, trademarks, and copyrights. Uses infringement degree analysis combined with technology, market, and legal dimensions to provide reference valuations for investment, transfer, transactions, and litigation.
• Process Analysis Service (工艺分析) Process analysis including surface analysis, cross-section structure analysis, and material analysis using optical/electron microscopes, ion etching machines, and image acquisition software. Used for process patent infringement evidence collection and product failure analysis.
• Circuit Extraction and Analysis Service (电路提取和分析) Circuit extraction from chip images using EDA software to produce flat circuit diagrams, followed by circuit analysis using Hierux System and BoolSmart System combined with datasheets to generate hierarchical circuit schematics reflecting original design ideas. Delivery formats include EDIF200, Verilog, SPICE, VHDL, and Workview.
• Competitive Analysis Service (竞争力分析)

Quantifiable outcome

• Most advanced analysis capability reaching 3nm process
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature10 records

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Primarius Technologies (概伦电子): Chinese EDA company listed on STAR Market focused on device modeling, circuit simulation, and characterization tools. Highly comparable to Cellix's analysis-and-characterization oriented EDA product line, serving fabless and foundry customers.
• TechInsights: Canadian-headquartered specialist in IC reverse engineering, patent infringement analysis, and chip teardown — directly comparable to Cellix's IC analysis, competitive analysis, and IP litigation support service lines.
• Empyrean Technology (华大九天): Beijing-headquartered Chinese EDA company listed on Shanghai's STAR Market, providing full-flow EDA tools including analog IC design, digital implementation, and verification. Directly comparable as a domestic Chinese EDA alternative pursuing the same localization opportunity as Cellix.

Broad incumbents

• Synopsys: Global #1 EDA platform offering full-flow digital implementation, verification, and IP. Incumbent competitor whose Chinese customer base overlaps with Cellix's and whose broader portfolio sets the ceiling on Cellix's addressable market.
• Cadence Design Systems: Global EDA leader spanning digital, analog, and verification tools plus IP. Comparable as the dominant full-flow alternative that Cellix's customers would otherwise license for design work.
• Siemens EDA (Mentor Graphics): Division of Siemens providing EDA tools including Calibre DRC/LVS verification — directly comparable to Cellix's VeriSmart layout verification system — alongside a broader physical design and verification portfolio.

Emerging players

• VeriSilicon (芯原微电子): Shanghai-listed Chinese semiconductor IP and ASIC design services company with comparable IP-core (processor, sensor, wireless) and turnkey design service offerings overlapping with Cellix's Taurus IP and ASIC/SoC design lines.
• SLS (国微集团 / SMiT): Hong Kong-listed Chinese EDA and IC design company providing EDA tools plus IP and design services. Overlaps with Cellix's mixed portfolio of tools, design services, and IP cores targeting Chinese fabless customers.
• Xpeedic (芯和半导体): Shanghai-based Chinese EDA company specializing in electromagnetic simulation, signal/power integrity, and packaging co-design. Comparable as another Chinese-domestic EDA player expanding the local EDA ecosystem where Cellix competes.
• Faraday Technology (智原科技): Taiwan-based ASIC design services and IP provider serving fabless customers with turnkey SoC design — comparable in custom layout, IP licensing, and mass-production support to Cellix's design services business.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Cellix Software