As the United States tightens its grip on semiconductor technology, China has moved to break through head-on by securing its own "design brain." Qiyunfang, a subsidiary of Saicarrrier, a key partner of Huawei, has independently developed and unveiled EDA (electronic design automation) software, the heart of semiconductor design. In the semiconductor industry, EDA is an essential tool for designing and verifying chip circuits, and the field has in effect been dominated by U.S. corporations. Observers say China's announcement is a full-fledged signal of its push to secure "sovereignty in semiconductor design" against U.S. technological hegemony.
EDA is a core technology that forms the foundation of the semiconductor industry. Without this software, complex semiconductor development is virtually impossible. The technology covers everything from designing the minute circuits inside cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) chips to system design that places and connects finished chips on a printed circuit board (PCB). For this reason, it is no exaggeration to say that EDA prowess determines a country's semiconductor design capability. Until now, three corporations—Cadence, Synopsys, and Siemens—have accounted for more than 90% of the global EDA market. For China, even if it localizes equipment and materials, if design software is blocked, semiconductor development will inevitably come to a halt.
◇ China unveils homegrown EDA technology… "More than 20,000 users"
The EDA unveiled by Qiyuanfang is a counteroffensive card aimed at breaking through this fatal weakness. Starting on the 15th, Qiyuanfang showcased two types of EDA—one for schematic design and one for printed circuit board (PCB) design—at a semiconductor expo being held in Shenzhen, China, for three days. The company said, "Performance is 30% higher and development time is reduced by up to 40% compared with existing global software." Although it did not disclose specific technical specifications, Qiyuanfang emphasized that it is at a commercialization level, noting that "more than 20,000 engineers are already using it."
The timing of the unveiling is also telling. It came right after U.S. President Donald Trump warned earlier this month that he could once again control exports of key software to China. Just three months ago, abrupt U.S. controls and reversals on EDA exports plunged China's semiconductor sector into turmoil. As the software sanctions card was pulled out again, China responded in effect by saying, "Then we'll make it ourselves." Some in the industry even say that "because of the sanctions, the EDA technology the United States sought to block has come out even faster."
◇ Huawei's semiconductor ecosystem accelerates self-reliance in chip design, equipment, and production
As the AI semiconductor era takes full shape, the battle for EDA supremacy is expected to intensify. In the past, a single chip was designed flat, but now multiple chips are stacked vertically like an apartment (3D) and linked with light (optical) to deliver performance beyond comparison with before. Experts say that in such complex structures, successful chip development is nearly impossible without precise simulations at the design stage. This is precisely why the United States has designated EDA not as mere software, but as a "core control technology" directly tied to national security, and is trying to block China's access.
This EDA announcement is an extension of Huawei's supply chain self-reliance push—its so-called "internalization roadmap"—since U.S. sanctions in 2019. Huawei already announced in 2023 that it had co-developed EDA tools for 14-nanometer-and-above processes with domestic corporations, and it has steadily expanded its self-reliance into AI chips, server chips, and advanced packaging. Partner companies such as Saicarrrier are the key pillars turning Huawei's strategy into reality across fields from equipment to software.
A semiconductor industry official said, "Huawei is building the foundation to run the design, equipment, and production ecosystem entirely at home," adding, "China's EDA technology has not yet reached advanced process nodes and the technology gap with the United States is large, but establishing a base for self-reliance in the design segment, which had been the weakest, is important progress." As assessments mount that external pressure is paradoxically driving China's all-out push for technological self-reliance, it seems clear that, regardless of whether these efforts succeed, they are already shaking up the global technology market landscape.