On the evening of December 1, Nvidia said it has reached a strategic cooperation agreement with Synopsys and purchased $2 billion worth of Synopsys common stock at US$414.79 per share, slightly below Synopsys' closing price of US$438.39 that same day. Synopsys shares rose 4.85%, while Nvidia closed up 1.65% at US$179.92.

Synopsys, a global leader in EDA software and silicon design tools, provides solutions used in chip development, molecular simulation, optical modeling, and system-level verification. CEO Sassine Ghazi said Nvidia's accelerated computing will allow workloads previously requiring weeks to complete to finish "within hours."

Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang told CNBC, "This is a huge deal. The partnership we announced today is about revolutionizing one of the most compute-intensive industries in the world: design and engineering."

The expanded multi-year partnership combines Nvidia CUDA accelerated computing, agentic AI technologies, and the Omniverse digital-twin platform with Synopsys' industry-leading EDA and engineering tools. Both companies said the agreement is non-exclusive, and Synopsys will continue supporting AMD, Intel, and other chipmakers.

Key initiatives under the expanded Nvidia–Synopsys collaboration include:

 ● Accelerating Synopsys' full portfolio of compute-intensive applications using Nvidia CUDA-X libraries and physics-based AI, covering chip design, physical verification, molecular modeling, EM analysis, and optics simulation.

 ● Advancing agentic AI for engineering workflows, integrating Synopsys' AgentEngineer technology with Nvidia NIM microservices, NeMo toolkits, and Nemotron models to enable more autonomous EDA and simulation flows.

 ● Digital-twin development, using Nvidia Omniverse and Cosmos to enable next-generation virtual design, test and verification for semiconductors, automotive, robotics, aerospace, medical and industrial systems.

 ● Cloud-based accelerated engineering, giving engineering teams of all sizes GPU-accelerated access to Synopsys tools.

 ● Joint go-to-market programs, leveraging Synopsys' global sales network to promote local and cloud-based accelerated engineering solutions.

Both companies emphasized that the collaboration will help engineering teams across semiconductors, aerospace, automotive, and industrial sectors overcome rising workflow complexity, R&D costs and time-to-market pressure.

Micron to Spend ¥1.5 Trillion on New HBM Fab in Hiroshima

Separately, Nikkei reported on November 29 that Micron Technology plans to invest ¥1.5 trillion (US$9.6 billion) to build a new HBM manufacturing facility in Hiroshima. Construction is expected to begin in May 2025, with shipments targeted around 2028. Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry may provide up to ¥500 billion (US$3.2 billion) in subsidies.

Japan has intensified efforts to revive its semiconductor industry, offering large incentives to Micron, TSMC and other global chipmakers as HBM demand continues to surge amid AI and data-center growth.

Former TSMC Executive Under Investigation Over Alleged 2-nm IP Leak

Taiwan prosecutors are investigating former TSMC Senior Vice President Wei-Jen Lo, who allegedly took confidential 2-nm process information before joining Intel earlier this year. On November 26, Taiwan's High Prosecutors Office ordered searches of Lo's homes in Taipei and Hsinchu, seizing computers and storage devices.

Authorities said Lo is suspected of violating Taiwan's National Security Act, and his assets—including TSMC stock holdings valued at over NT$1.8 billion—have been frozen. Lo reportedly left Taiwan for the United States in October.

Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger publicly defended Lo, stating that Intel fully supports his hiring and denies any improper use of third-party intellectual property. Intel emphasized that employees are strictly prohibited from bringing or using confidential information from previous employers.

The U.S. State Department declined to comment on Taiwan's investigation.