Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: KEYS) has certified its RFPro electromagnetic (EM) design software for Intel Foundry’s 14A and 18A-P process technologies. This certification enables radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) and mixed-signal designers to validate that their electromagnetic simulations accurately reflect the latest manufacturing capabilities before chips move to production. By identifying performance issues early, the tool helps design teams reduce development risk, avoid costly chip redesigns, and accelerate time to market.

The certification is part of the Keysight EDA Advanced Design System (ADS). It addresses the critical need for pre-design validation as mismatches between EM and circuit behavior often surface only after tape-out, leading to expensive re-spins. Intel Foundry’s roadmap from Intel 18A into 18A-P and Intel 14A introduces new transistor and power delivery architectures, specifically RibbonFET 2 and PowerDirect. Validated simulation tools provide a proven path for teams navigating these complex architectural changes.

Strategic Collaboration and Market Impact

This development builds on Keysight’s ongoing collaboration with Intel Foundry, which includes previous support for Intel 18A and EMIB-T advanced packaging technology. Together, these capabilities offer customers consistent design flows across multiple Intel process generations. The validated flows support applications in artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, and mobile devices.

Shawn Han, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Foundry Services at Intel Corporation, stated that predictable execution on advanced process technologies accelerates customer innovation. He noted that collaborating with ecosystem partners like Keysight provides customers greater confidence in achieving power, performance, and efficiency goals.

Niels Faché, Senior Vice President of Keysight Design Engineering Software, emphasized that design teams cannot wait for new process nodes to mature before trusting simulation results. "This certification means engineers can adopt Intel Foundry’s newest technologies early and get the silicon right the first time," Faché said.

What the Numbers Show

While no specific financial figures were disclosed, the strategic implication lies in the reduction of non-recurring engineering costs associated with chip re-spins. For semiconductor fabless companies and integrated device manufacturers using Intel Foundry services, the ability to validate designs on Intel 14A and 18A-P before silicon fabrication directly impacts capital efficiency and product launch timelines. This certification reinforces Keysight’s position in the electronic design automation market by aligning its tools with Intel’s most advanced leading-edge nodes.

Keysight Technologies today announced Keysight Multiphysics, a design and verification solution that addresses the physics interactions driving failure in modern electronic designs. The structural analysis application covering drop, shock, and vibration enables engineering teams to identify and fix problems earlier, before a prototype is built. This solution integrates physics simulation into the electronic engineering workflow, completing in hours a process that traditionally takes weeks.

Electronic products are growing in complexity faster than traditional engineering workflows can scale. As electrical, thermal, mechanical, and optical elements are compressed into tighter, more integrated designs, the physics interactions between them create failure risks that cannot be evaluated in isolation. Physics effects in one domain can produce unintended outcomes in another, and those interdependencies are rarely caught until the physical product is built, when the cost of redesign is highest.

Key Application Benefits

The first release of Keysight Multiphysics addresses structural analysis and includes compliance simulation for drop, shock, and vibration. Previously, this step required building numerous physical prototypes for testing in an external lab, committing design and manufacturing tooling before identifying potential failures. Pre-built application templates embed setup expertise directly into the workflow, improving simulation fidelity. This allows teams to avoid late-stage failures without requiring a computer-aided engineering (CAE) specialist.

Operational Advantages

Niels Faché, Senior Vice President, Keysight Design Engineering Software, said: "Complexity now defines electronic design. Engineers used to treat electrical, thermal, and mechanical effects as separate problems. That approach can no longer keep pace. We built Keysight Multiphysics by working through the very problems our own engineers faced, giving teams a digital thread to detect failures earlier and more predictably."