By Edith Hancock
The U.K. competition regulator said it could approve chip design software group Synopsys's $35 billion purchase of Ansys after the companies offered to sell off business units to ease regulators' concerns.
The Competition and Markets Authority said Wednesday that there are reasonable grounds for it to let the deal go ahead with the concessions the companies have offered. It now has until March 5 to decide whether to accept the undertakings, but can extend this until May 6 under special circumstances.
The deal is also being looked at by the European Commission's antitrust regulator, which set a Jan. 10 deadline to decide whether to approve it or move to an in-depth investigation.
Both companies struck deals with Keysight to divest Synopsys's Optical Solutions Group and Ansys' PowerArtist software tool in recent months to secure regulatory approvals for the merger.
"We are very pleased that today the CMA has taken the important step of provisionally accepting our proposed remedies in Phase 1 rather than referring the transaction to Phase 2," a spokesperson for Synopsys said, adding that the company will continue to engage with the regulator as it wraps up the review process. The company expects to close its transaction in the first half of this year.
Synopsys agreed to buy Ansys in January 2024 in a deal that would broaden Synopsys's portfolio in simulation software for companies that design micro chips.
Write to Edith Hancock at edith.hancock@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
01-08-25 0646ET