GDSFactory

What GDSFactory does

GDSFactory, operated by DoPlayDo, Inc. (Delaware, USA), provides an open-core software platform for chip design across photonic, quantum, RF, and analog integrated circuits. The company maintains the GDSFactory open-source Python library — described as the world's most popular open-source chip design framework — along with companion open-source simulation engines: gSim (FDTD and FEM electromagnetic simulation), MEOW (eigenmode expansion), SAX (frequency-domain S-parameter circuit simulation), and Circulax (time-domain circuit simulation). On top of this foundation, the commercial GDSFactory+ product is delivered as a VSCode extension that integrates layout editing, schematic editing, DRC/LVS verification, circuit simulation, and an AI agent for design assistance, with access to 43+ foundry PDKs from silicon photonics, silicon nitride, III-V, thin-film lithium niobate, and RF process vendors including Tower, GlobalFoundries, IMEC, AIM Photonics, and Ligentec. Adjacent commercial offerings include GDSFactory+ Cloud Workspace (managed browser environments), GDSFactory Hub (chip data storage and analysis), and DoRoutes (photonic routing).

The company monetizes GDSFactory+ on a per-seat subscription basis with annual, monthly, and multi-year billing, supported by a 30-day free trial and credit card or purchase order payments. A dedicated academic pricing tier includes both per-user and unlimited-institution options. Go-to-market combines an open-source community-led funnel (GitHub, PyPI, Slack community, conference workshops at OFC, CLEO, and Photonics West, plus YouTube tutorials) with direct sales for enterprise and government/defense buyers, the latter served through air-gapped local installation and GovCloud/Stormbreaker deployments. Customer segments span academic research groups, commercial photonics companies (with named design partners Lightmatter and Hewlett Packard Enterprise), defense and government labs, and the broad open-source developer community. The company is remote-first, venture-backed (per job postings mentioning stock options), with a small multidisciplinary engineering team spanning software, RF, photonics, computational simulation, and superconducting quantum disciplines.

Name

GDSFactory

Legal name

DoPlayDo, Inc

Website

https://gdsfactory.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

GDSFactory (DoPlayDo, Inc.) provides an open-core chip design platform combining the world's most popular open-source Python framework for photonic, quantum, RF, and analog IC design with the commercial GDSFactory+ VSCode extension, serving academic researchers, commercial photonics teams, and defense/government labs.

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

Foundry Platform & Design Enablement Services (PDK/DFM/Process Qualification) (HDAHACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Quantum Compilation Toolkits (Frontend SDK Layer) (HDAGACAF), Programmable Logic (FPGAs/CPLDs) (HDAHAJAG)

Keywords

• Photonic chip design
• EDA software platform
• Integrated circuit layout
• Open-source chip framework
• Circuit simulation tools

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. GDSFactory+ Subscriptions: Commercial subscription to GDSFactory+ provides access to foundry PDKs, graphical editors, verification tools (DRC/LVS), circuit simulation, AI agent, and cloud/shared workspace features. Priced per seat with annual or monthly billing. Academic pricing available with institutional unlimited-user option.
2. Academic Licensing: Dedicated academic pricing with two tiers: per-user and unlimited-users-within-institution. Popular for research groups where students rotate in and out. Includes onboarding support and documentation access.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

GDSFactory provides an open-core chip design platform for photonic, quantum, RF, and analog integrated circuits. The free open-source GDSFactory Python library enables programmatic layout creation and verification, while the commercial GDSFactory+ VSCode extension delivers foundry PDK access, graphical layout and schematic editors, DRC/LVS verification, circuit simulation, and an AI design agent in a single integrated environment.

Product overview

GDSFactory offers an integrated chip design platform combining open-source foundation with commercial products. The core offering is GDSFactory+ (commercial VSCode extension) which provides foundry PDK access, graphical layout and schematic editors, DRC/LVS verification, circuit simulation, and AI agent - all in VSCode. Built on open-source engines: GDSFactory (layout), gSim (FDTD/FEM simulation), MEOW (EME solver), SAX (frequency-domain circuit simulation), and Circulax (time-domain circuit simulation). Additional commercial services include Cloud Workspace for remote development and GDSFactory Hub for data storage and analysis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• gdsfactory: The world's most popular open-source chip design framework. Programmatically create, verify, and export photonic and electronic layouts.
• gSim
• MEOW
• SAX
• Circulax

Products and services

• GDSFactory+ Commercial VSCode extension providing an all-in-one chip design environment with foundry PDK access, graphical layout and schematic editors, DRC/LVS verification, circuit simulation, and an AI agent for photonic, quantum, and analog chip design. Targeted at commercial photonics companies, academic research groups, and defense/government labs.
• GDSFactory (Open Source) World's most popular open-source Python chip design framework for programmatically creating, verifying, and exporting photonic and electronic layouts. Distributed free via GitHub and PyPI, serves as the foundation of GDSFactory+ and as a standalone tool for researchers, students, and hobbyists.
• gSim FDTD & FEM Full-wave electromagnetic device simulation engine running FDTD and FEM solvers to model light propagation, mode profiles, and S-parameters for photonic devices. Used by photonic integrated circuit designers for device-level simulation.
• MEOW Eigenmode Expansion (EME) Eigenmode Expansion Method solver that efficiently simulates tapers, transitions, and other photonic structures where modes evolve along the propagation axis.
• SAX Circuit Simulator Blazingly fast S-parameter circuit simulator that composes component models into full photonic circuits and sweeps wavelength in seconds. Used for frequency-domain photonic circuit simulation.
• Circulax Time-Domain Circuit Simulator Time-domain circuit simulator for photonic systems that models transient behavior, modulation, and dynamic effects across circuits.
• GDSFactory+ Cloud Workspace Cloud-hosted workspace option for GDSFactory+ providing a remote development environment with shared workspace capabilities for team collaboration. Targets teams that prefer browser-based access over local installation.
• GDSFactory Hub Data Storage & Analysis extension for chip design data providing a complete overview of chip layouts, measurements, simulations, and analysis with visualization and collaborative custom analysis capabilities.
• DoRoutes Advanced routing functionality for photonic integrated circuits that simplifies complex waveguide routing designs with automated route creation and management.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10x faster chip design compared to legacy EDA tools
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability10 records

Feature11 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• KLayout: Open-source layout viewer and editor widely used alongside GDSFactory for GDS file visualization and DRC. Not a direct competitor for the integrated design-to-tapeout workflow but serves overlapping open-source-minded chip designers and is explicitly supported by GDSFactory as a complementary tool.

Broad incumbents

• Keysight Technologies: Provider of PathWave ADS (Advanced Design System) for RF and microwave circuit design, one of the legacy tools in the space GDSFactory+ targets with its new frequency-domain RF simulation features (v1.0.25-1.0.26). Broader test-and-measurement portfolio with overlapping RF/analog IC design customer base.
• Synopsys: Large EDA incumbent offering OptoCompiler and other photonic design tools (notably after acquiring Luceda Photonics in 2024). Competes with GDSFactory across photonic, analog, and RF design, with deeper enterprise integrations but less Python-native openness.
• Ansys: Multiphysics simulation provider that acquired Lumerical, a leading FDTD-based photonic simulation suite. Competes with GDSFactory's gSim FDTD/FEM engine and offers adjacent electromagnetic simulation; Lumerical is a direct peer for photonic device simulation workflows.
• Cadence Design Systems: Dominant EDA vendor whose Virtuoso and Spectre platforms are widely used for photonic, RF, and analog IC design. Provides GDS/SPICE import-export compatibility with GDSFactory+, positioning as the legacy incumbent GDSFactory seeks to disrupt with open-core pricing and Python-native workflows.
• Siemens EDA: EDA division of Siemens (formerly Mentor Graphics) offering Calibre for DRC/LVS and broader IC design tools. Competes in verification and layout; GDSFactory+ explicitly supports Calibre-format DRC decks alongside KLayout, reflecting direct overlap in the verification workflow.

Direct peers

• Flexcompute: Maker of Tidy3D, a cloud-native FDTD electromagnetic simulator that GDSFactory+ integrates with for device-level photonic simulation. Competes with gSim's FDTD capabilities while benefiting from integration into the GDSFactory+ workflow; serves the same photonic and quantum hardware design community.
• Luceda Photonics: IPKISS-based photonic IC design platform with Python-native tooling and PDK access (now part of Synopsys). Most directly comparable competitor to GDSFactory in the Python-driven photonic EDA niche, targeting similar academic and commercial photonic designers.

Others

• COMSOL: Multiphysics simulation platform with photonic device and RF modules that overlap with GDSFactory's simulation stack (FDTD, FEM, mode solving). Serves adjacent photonics and MEMS designers rather than competing head-on in the photonic IC tape-out workflow.
• XFDTD (Remcom): Electromagnetic simulation software suite including FDTD and FEM solvers for antenna, microwave, and photonic device modeling. Competes in the device-simulation layer with gSim/MEOW but lacks GDSFactory's integrated schematic-to-layout-to-verification flow.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/gdsfactory/gdsfactory
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gdsfactory

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 GDSFactory