Synopsys Should Benefit No Matter Who Wins The AI Race. Here’s What Explains Its Poor Stock Performance.

Synopsys (SNPS) sits in a rare spot in the chip world. The company makes the software that engineers use to design semiconductors, and you cannot build a modern chip without it. So it doesn’t matter which company wins the AI race. Whether it’s Nvidia (NVDA), Apple (AAPL), or any other chipmaker, they all need these design tools to get there. Synopsys is the largest supplier of them.

That is a strong position to be in. The company's tools are difficult to replace, which is why most of its revenue is recurring and reliable. Companies have built their entire design process around them over many years. This makes switching to a rival firm slow, costly, and risky.