OpenAI and Synopsys partner on GPT-Synopsys, a chip-design model
On Sept. 30, 2026, Synopsys (Nasdaq: SNPS) and OpenAI announced a strategic partnership and an "expansive, multi-year agreement" to jointly develop GPT-Synopsys. According to the Synopsys press release, it is a specialized model optimized to use Synopsys EDA (electronic design automation) tools to perform semiconductor design workflows. The agreement includes a revenue sharing arrangement and go-to-market collaboration, so the two companies can jointly offer GPT-Synopsys to customers worldwide.
The release frames this as the next step beyond what exists today. At present, agentic AI technologies connect general-purpose models to EDA tools to run chip-design workflows. The partnership aims to make frontier models experts in using those tools: learning to run them as expert engineers would, interpreting their outputs, and iteratively optimizing designs. The stated goal is for the model to become a native expert user, so engineers can explore more design alternatives and optimize power, performance and area (PPA) to deliver more sophisticated designs faster.
On the technical side, GPT-Synopsys combines OpenAI frontier models with Synopsys' EDA technology and domain expertise. The model is meant to reason about chip design and verification and to operate Synopsys' tools directly. Engineers will delegate design objectives, from PPA optimization to timing and verification closure, while agents run tools, interpret results, implement changes and iterate toward verified outcomes that engineers then review. GPT-Synopsys will run on OpenAI-hosted infrastructure, will be designed to interoperate with customer agent harness systems, and will be deeply integrated with Synopsys.ai and the Synopsys Autopilot agentic AI platform. Early technology engagements are underway with leading semiconductor customers.
Commercially, the joint service offering will bundle compute, model and licenses. On data handling, the release says customer-specific design data is protected: GPT-Synopsys will feature enterprise-grade security, governance and access controls, customer data is not used to train the model, and it is encrypted at rest and in transit. Customers can manage it through configurable retention, audit and permission controls.
Sassine Ghazi, president and CEO of Synopsys, said the future of semiconductor engineering requires dramatic acceleration of chip design without compromising PPA or first-time-right silicon, and that the agreement will expand access to Synopsys' design capabilities and ground-truth engineering tools. Greg Brockman, president and co-founder of OpenAI, said OpenAI is using its most advanced technology to improve the systems that power AI, and that bringing that work to chip design will help engineers explore more designs and get to a working chip faster.
The announcement is a press release and carries a forward-looking statements disclaimer covering the development, capabilities, timing, availability and anticipated benefits of GPT-Synopsys.
Key facts
- Synopsys and OpenAI signed a multi-year agreement on Sept. 30, 2026 to jointly develop GPT-Synopsys, a specialized model optimized to operate Synopsys EDA tools for chip design workflows.
- The deal includes revenue sharing and go-to-market collaboration to offer the model to customers worldwide; the joint offering will bundle compute, model and licenses.
- GPT-Synopsys will run on OpenAI-hosted infrastructure, integrate with Synopsys.ai and the Synopsys Autopilot agentic AI platform, and is designed to interoperate with customer agent harness systems.
- Engineers would delegate objectives such as PPA optimization and timing and verification closure; agents run the tools and iterate toward verified outcomes for engineer review.
- Customer data is not used to train the model and is encrypted at rest and in transit; early engagements with leading semiconductor customers are underway.
Why it matters
Today, agentic AI links general-purpose models to EDA tools. This partnership targets a model trained to be an expert user of those tools, from Synopsys, a maker of the tools themselves, with OpenAI supplying frontier models. If it works as described, engineers would hand over design objectives such as PPA optimization or timing and verification closure and review verified results. Both companies tie the effort to faster chip development: Ghazi speaks of dramatic acceleration without compromising PPA or first-time-right silicon, and Brockman of helping engineers explore more designs and reach a working chip faster.
Who it affects
Semiconductor design teams are the intended users, and the release says early technology engagements are underway with leading semiconductor customers, who are not named. Engineers would shift toward delegating objectives and reviewing outcomes. Ghazi says the agreement will help more companies develop and accelerate advanced silicon. Synopsys and OpenAI are the commercial parties, sharing revenue from the offering.
How to use it
GPT-Synopsys is not described as generally available. The release says the joint service offering will bundle compute, model and licenses, with the model running on OpenAI-hosted infrastructure and integrated with Synopsys.ai and the Synopsys Autopilot platform. It will be designed to interoperate with customer agent harness systems. No release date or general availability date for GPT-Synopsys is given, and there is no pricing.
How solid is it
This is a Synopsys press release, and every statement comes from Synopsys and OpenAI executives. The partnership and the multi-year agreement are announced as signed facts. The capabilities are largely described as intentions: the model will be designed to interoperate with customer harnesses, will be integrated, and engineers will delegate objectives. No benchmarks or measured improvements in design speed or PPA are reported. No independent or third-party reaction is included.
Risks and caveats
The release's own forward-looking statements disclaimer says statements about the development, capabilities, timing, availability and anticipated benefits of GPT-Synopsys involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially. No financial terms are given: no deal value, no revenue-sharing split and no pricing. The length of the multi-year term is not stated, and neither is a base model name beyond OpenAI frontier models. The leading semiconductor customers in early engagements are not named. The data protections (no training on customer data, encryption, retention and audit controls) are the companies' own assurances.
“With Synopsys, we're bringing that work to chip design, helping engineers explore more designs and get to a working chip faster.”
— Greg Brockman, president and co-founder of OpenAI