Synopsys Cloud is the Synopsys cloud offering for EDA tools, and FlexEDA is the business model it uses. This article describes FlexEDA, the terms for evaluation downloads and the hardware terms for HAPS prototyping systems, because they depart from the usual quantity-of-licences model in the core agreement. It reports what Synopsys’s own pages say; a cloud contract or hardware purchase agreement controls.
FlexEDA: credits instead of licence counts
FlexEDA is described as “a business model of Synopsys Cloud that provides access to unlimited, on-demand electronic design automation (EDA) software licenses”, delivered in two deployments, Bring Your Own Cloud (BYOC) and Software as a Service (SaaS).[1] The model changes what is bought: “instead of purchasing a specific number of licenses for specific tools, customers purchase a specific quantity of cloud credits that can be used for any number of licenses for any enabled tools.” Credits are “the single currency for EDA tools, licenses, and infrastructure (in case of SaaS)”.[1] Customers sign a single cloud contract and purchase credits, and the page states there are “no minimum spend thresholds or size limits on cloud engagement”.[1]
Under the Synopsys Cloud credit metric the unit of consumption is a credit, and the quantity of tool licences is not capped in advance. In BYOC, customers run Synopsys EDA tools with pay-per-use access in their own cloud account; usage is metered and credits are deducted at by-the-minute access rates. In SaaS, credits can pay for tools (called Apps), flows (called Instances) and infrastructure such as storage and compute.[1]
Pay-per-use and cloud subscription licences
Pay-per-use (PPU), “available for BYOC and SaaS deployments of Synopsys Cloud, provides the benefits of unlimited EDA license availability with a true pay-per-use approach on a per-minute basis”, with credits deducted after actual use, and most Synopsys EDA tools are available under it.[1] The page gives a worked example. A team starts a job with 100 copies of a tool licence on 200 cores and pays for the 480 minutes it runs; the next day it starts a job with 1,000 copies on 20,000 cores, which runs for 60 minutes, and pays for compute and licences used for 60 minutes.[1] The cost driver is therefore the number of licence copies multiplied by minutes of run time, and the metering record is the evidence base for the invoice. A software asset manager should reconcile the credit statement to job logs and check whether licences are held while jobs queue or only while they run, because the page describes metering by minute but publishes no rate card.
EDA products that are not cloud scalable are licensed under a cloud subscription licence (CSL) pricing model, “much like the regular on-prem licensing model”. CSLs are bought with credits, but “CSLs are of fixed term and quantity; in other words, these are paid upfront and cloud credits are deducted before use.”[1] The two forms behave differently for accounting: PPU credits are consumed after use, while a CSL consumes credits when it is purchased whether or not it is used.
The page also states that FlexEDA lets customers manage tool usage by users, granting or limiting access through a browser-based portal.[1] The terms of the cloud contract itself, including credit expiry, refunds and data terms, are not on the page.
Evaluation downloads
Evaluation software is downloaded from a Synopsys evaluation server whose terms say that “any evaluation license for any Licensed Product received from Synopsys shall be used by you only for the purpose of evaluating it and deciding whether to purchase a license.” The licensee must not use the product to design integrated circuits for production or pre-production purposes or for any other commercial use, including for the benefit of its customers.[2] The same restriction appears in the End-User Software License and Maintenance Agreement, which adds a liquidated fee of the perpetual list price plus maintenance if the restriction is breached.[4] The evaluation terms acknowledge that a breach could cause irreparable harm and give Synopsys the right to terminate the licence and seek injunctive relief.[2]
The evaluation terms also describe how Synopsys software behaves on a customer’s systems. Synopsys software is “designed to run on one or more computers within a networked environment”, and by installing or running it the user agrees that Synopsys “may access components and data of the Host System as necessary for Synopsys Software to function properly, to authenticate and validate license keys, to verify that Synopsys Software is used only in conformity with the applicable license restrictions, and to communicate error messages and associated data to Synopsys servers.”[2] A user who is not party to an existing Synopsys end user licence agreement consents to jurisdiction in Santa Clara County, California, under California and US federal law, and an existing agreement controls over these terms.[2] The practical point is that evaluation keys are monitored for conformity, and evaluation use should be tracked and ended.
HAPS hardware terms
HAPS prototyping hardware is sold or leased under separate Terms and Conditions that apply “unless you have a signed agreement with Synopsys that govern your use of the Hardware”.[3] The key terms are:
- Software. “All Synopsys software provided with the Hardware shall be governed by the End User License and Maintenance Agreement between Synopsys and Customer.”[3] A hardware purchase therefore does not carry a software licence by itself.
- Warranty. A limited warranty against defects in material and workmanship runs from shipment (from purchase for evaluation hardware) and ends six months later, with repair or replacement at Synopsys’s option.[3]
- Restrictions. The customer may not reverse engineer the hardware, use it for the benefit of anyone other than the customer, disclose benchmark results, use it to develop competing products, or employ it in life-critical applications.[3]
- Evaluation hardware. It may be used only for the evaluation period and purpose, and must be returned unless purchased or leased before the period ends.[3]
- Maintenance. After delivery and subject to payment, maintenance includes telephone and email support during business hours on weekdays and repair or replacement of damaged hardware, with listed exclusions such as accidents and unsuitable environments.[3]
- Fees. Fees are in the Purchasing Agreement, due within 30 days of invoice if no terms are given, non-refundable and payable in U.S. dollars, with a late payment charge.[3]
- Title and lease. Title and risk of loss pass on delivery to the carrier for purchased hardware. Leased hardware remains Synopsys property, the customer insures it and carries the risk of loss, and it must be returned within five days of termination or expiry.[3]
- Liability. Synopsys’s liability is limited to the fees paid for the hardware, and infringement remedies are limited to modification, replacement or a refund depreciated on a straight-line 5-year basis.[3]
For asset management, hardware under lease is a tracked asset with insurance and return obligations, and the software on it is a licence under the main agreement with its own Use Area and key terms.
Out of scope
This article does not cover the IP prototyping kit terms, pricing of cloud credits, the Synopsys Cloud service terms, or ZeBu emulation terms, none of which was read for this edition.