United Kingdom: Adopted interim decision in CMA investigation into Synopsys/Ansys merger

On 20 December 2024, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) adopted an interim decision in its investigation into the proposed Synopsys and Ansys merger. The CMA stated that the merger could substantially lessen competition in the global supply of register-transfer-level power consumption analysis, optics software, and photonics software. The CMA found that the merger would create a dominant market player with insufficient competition, potentially leading to higher prices, reduced quality, and less innovation. CMA has directed the parties to offer undertakings to address these concerns by 31 December 2024, in the absence of which the CMA will refer the merger for an in-depth phase 2 investigation.