Sycon Design

About Sycon Design

Sycon Design, founded in 1996 by Sycon Zohar, was a specialized firm operating in the semiconductor industry from its headquarters in Santa Clara, California. The company focused on developing and providing advanced automated tools and methodologies for the full-custom design of integrated circuits (ICs). Its core business was centered on addressing critical aspects of the IC design process, particularly the physical design for high-performance chips.

The company's product offerings were engineered to support the creation of high-performance microprocessors and systems-on-a-chip (SoCs) operating at high frequencies. Sycon Design's tools were notable for enabling multi-level optimization for GigaHertz design closure, a key challenge in the semiconductor field. It automated design practices that were traditionally manual, aiming to maximize system performance and minimize the silicon area required. The solutions featured capabilities for producing high-density designs and offered built-in flexibility for designers.

Sycon Design served clients in the electronic design automation (EDA) and semiconductor markets. In a significant financial milestone, the company secured $12 million in a Series A funding round on February 3, 2000. This investment was led by Ridgewood Capital and included participation from Intel Capital and Western Technology Investment. After operating for nine years, Sycon Design was acquired by eSilicon Corporation in 2005, marking the conclusion of its journey as an independent entity.