Target Condition: Are Autorouters Friend or Foe?
Fresh PCB Concepts: Assembly Challenges with Micro Components and Standard Solder Mask Practices
Elementary Mr. Watson: Retro Routers vs. Modern Boards—The Silent Struggle on Your Screen
SEMI Anti-Piracy Server Certification Protocol for Software License Management Reaches Key Milestone
September 1, 2021 | SEMIEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
The SEMI Electronics System Design (ESD) Alliance announced completion of the anti-piracy SEMI Server Certification Protocol (SSCP) for software license management, a year-long joint development effort led by the ESD Alliance, a SEMI Technology Community.
The SSCP, approved by development committee members Cadence, Siemens EDA and Synopsys, uniquely identifies each customer license server to assure that licenses are issued only by authorized servers to help protect against software piracy. The SCCP is now undergoing standardization and will be managed by the SEMI Standards group after its finalization as an industry standard. The committee members intend to implement the protocol in their respective license management software.
“A big thank you to Cadence, Siemens EDA, and Synopsys, our joint development association partners, for their work to push the protocol forward,” said Bob Smith, executive director of the SEMI ESD Alliance. “It took a concerted effort to reach this key milestone and that push will continue as we move forward to finalizing SSCP as an industry standard. Software piracy costs industry billions of dollars per year and hurts both vendors and their customers, a problem the protocol will help mitigate.”
An industry-standard protocol to combat software piracy is a growing necessity for design automation software suppliers to ensure only authorized servers are issuing licenses. Design automation software is complex and requires ongoing and significant R&D investments. Bad actors can apply server cloning techniques to access unlicensed copies of the software, putting legitimate users and software vendors at a competitive disadvantage by forcing software vendors to increase prices to support continuing investments in R&D.
“The SSCP is a significant step forward for the semiconductor industry in its efforts to stem software piracy,” said Nimish Modi, senior vice president of market and business development at Cadence. “The collaboration among design automation suppliers ensures a wide-ranging and inclusive anti-piracy strategy.”
“Completing the server certification protocol is a huge achievement,” said Joe Sawicki, executive vice president of IC EDA for Siemens. “Congratulations to everyone who worked to establish this anti-piracy standard that protects against theft and provides a level playing field for all our users.”
“Synopsys is pleased to collaborate across the design automation industry to define a method to combat piracy,” said Arun Venkatachar, vice president of Synopsys central engineering. “It is critical for the industry to level the playing field for legitimate users. We are committed to working with SEMI and the industry to implement the protocol and make it an industry standard.”
“Ansys applauds the anti-piracy initiative led by the SEMI ESD Alliance to develop the SSPC," said Shane Emswiler, senior vice president at Ansys. "Ansys is committed to ensuring fair access for all users and combating piracy. We are proud to stand with our peers in this effort."
Share on:
Suggested Items
DownStream Acquisition Fits Siemens’ ‘Left-Shift’ Model
06/26/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007I recently spoke to DownStream Technologies founder Joe Clark about the company’s acquisition by Siemens. We were later joined by A.J. Incorvaia, Siemens’ senior VP of electronic board systems. Joe discussed how he, Rick Almeida, and Ken Tepper launched the company in the months after 9/11 and how the acquisition came about. A.J. provides some background on the acquisition and explains why the companies’ tools are complementary.
Elementary Mr. Watson: Retro Routers vs. Modern Boards—The Silent Struggle on Your Screen
06/26/2025 | John Watson -- Column: Elementary, Mr. WatsonThere's a story about a young woman preparing a holiday ham. Before putting it in the pan, she cuts off the ends. When asked why, she shrugs and says, "That's how my mom always did it." She asks her mother, who gives the same answer. Eventually, the question reaches Grandma, who laughs and says, "Oh, I only cut the ends off because my pan was too small." This story is a powerful analogy for how many PCB designers approach routing today.
Siemens Turbocharges Semiconductor and PCB Design Portfolio with Generative and Agentic AI
06/24/2025 | SiemensAt the 2025 Design Automation Conference, Siemens Digital Industries Software today unveiled its AI-enhanced toolset for the EDA design flow.
Cadence AI Autorouter May Transform the Landscape
06/19/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazinePatrick Davis, product management director with Cadence Design Systems, discusses advancements in autorouting technology, including AI. He emphasizes a holistic approach that enhances placement and power distribution before routing. He points out that younger engineers seem more likely to embrace autorouting, while the veteran designers are still wary of giving up too much control. Will AI help autorouters finally gain industry-wide acceptance?
Beyond Design: The Metamorphosis of the PCB Router
06/18/2025 | Barry Olney -- Column: Beyond DesignThe traditional PCB design process is often time-consuming and labor-intensive. Routing a complex PCB layout can consume up to 30% of a designer’s time, and addressing this issue is not straightforward. We have all encountered this scenario: You spend hours setting the constraints and finally hit the Go button, only to be surprised by the lack of visual appeal and the obvious flaws in the result.