Empyrean Technology Co., Ltd. 

Type: Public (State-backed)
Traded as: Shenzhen Stock Exchange (STAR Market)
Industry: Electronic Design Automation (EDA), Chip Design Tools
Founded: May 26, 2009
Headquarters: Beijing, China
Key People: Liu Weiping (Chairman), Yang Xiaodong (CEO) DIGITIMES Asia+11Wikipedia+11empyrean-tech.com+11
Employees: ~1,000+ (2023)
Ownership: China Electronics Corporation (CEC), China Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund

🧠 Overview

Empyrean Technology is China’s leading homegrown EDA company and a strategic player in efforts to reduce reliance on Western EDA tools. It delivers a full-stack EDA solution for analog, mixed-signal (AMS), digital SoC, RF, Power IC, and flat-panel display design. The company provides both products and foundry design enablement services to chip designers, foundries, and packaging companies. empyrean-tech.com+6empyrean-tech.com+6empyrean-tech.com+6

As of 2023, Empyrean holds around 6% of China’s EDA market share, positioning it as the largest domestic EDA provider—though global penetration remains below 2%. Its rise reflects China’s national push for semiconductor self-sufficiency amid increasing export restrictions on Western EDA tools. Wikipedia+1Financial Times+1

🛠 Flagship Products & Solutions

Empyrean offers a comprehensive tool suite covering full chip design flows:

• Aether™ – Schematic/layout editor for analog/mixed-signal circuits

• ALPS® / ALPS RF – High-performance SPICE-accurate simulator; GPU-accelerated variant for large-scale analog designs Wikipedia+5SemiWiki+5LinkedIn+5ambitec+3empyrean-tech.com+3empyrean-tech.com+3

• Patron® – Transistor-level EM/IR power integrity analysis with self-heating modeling

• Polas® – Power IC analysis optimized for PMIC reliability and performance validation

• Argus™ / ArgusFPD – Parallel physical verification (DRC/LVS) for IC and flat-panel display layouts, integrated with other tools for layout debugging SemiWiki+5empyrean-tech.com+5empyrean-tech.com+5empyrean-tech.com

• RCExplorer™ – Parasitic RC extraction and timing analysis

• Liberal™ – AI-accelerated library characterization for standard cells, memory, and IP

• Qualib® – Standard cell and IP validation/quality assurance

• ICExplorer-XTop™ & ICExplorer-XTime™ – Timing and power optimization, timing analysis tools

• Skipper® – Ultra-large layout visualization and integration for advanced nodes empyrean-tech.com+7empyrean-tech.com+7SemiWiki+7

🏛️ Company History & Milestones

• 2009: Empyrean Technology was founded in Beijing, backed by the Chinese government and industry funds.

• 2022: Listed on the Shenzhen STAR Market via IPO.

• 2023: Recognized as the first domestic EDA provider supporting 5 nm analog and full 7 nm digital flows; Huawei adopted its tools for advanced IC design.

• Dec 2024: Added to the U.S. Department of Commerce Entity List in export controls. Empyrean responded by aligning more closely under CEC state ownership. Wikipedia

• Mar 2025: Announced acquisition of a majority stake in Shanghai-based Xpeedic Technology, a provider of SiP and system-aware EDA solutions—though the deal was later terminated in July 2025. DIGITIMES Asia+2DIGITIMES Asia+2Wikipedia+2

🌍 Market Position & Strategic Context

Empyrean is part of China’s national semiconductor push, aiming to gradually replace Western EDA dominance. Through government backing and rapid R&D investment—spending nearly 80% of revenue on research and development—it has doubled its Chinese market share from ~7% in 2020 to ~14% in 2023. Yet its global footprint remains modest compared to giants like Synopsys and Cadence. Financial Times

Industry commentary from China-based engineers notes:

“They already have a ‘national champion’ EDA company… it is entirely possible to design a fairly advanced SoC using nothing but Empyrean and a few other domestic EDA tools.” Reddit

📊 Summary Table

🚀 Strategic Vision & Future Directions

Empyrean intends to:

• Deliver a full front-to-back EDA toolchain domestically without reliance on foreign providers.

• Expand into multi-physics and system-level design support (e.g., SiP, advanced packaging).

• Improve capability to design at advanced nodes (5 nm / 3 nm) for both digital and analog circuits.

• Strengthen integration across spectral tools (SPICE, layout, verification, timing) for seamless flows.

Empyrean on SemiWiki

Company Website