Synopsys PrimeSim Custom Fault is a transistor-level analog and mixed-signal fault simulation tool that generates detection and diagnostic coverage metrics for functional safety (FMEDA/diagnostic coverage) and assesses manufacturing test coverage at block, subsystem, and full-chip scale, with sampling and distributed-simulation features to reduce the number of required fault simulations.
Published May 16, 2026
| Starting Price | Not public (enterprise licensing) | Not public (enterprise licensing) | Not public (enterprise licensing) |
| Primary fit | Teams needing transistor-level analog and mixed-signal fault campaigns integrated with Synopsys simulators and ISO 26262–oriented workflows | Virtuoso/Spectre-centric teams wanting analog defect/fault simulation and reliability features within the Cadence environment | Organizations standardized on Siemens flows or seeking alternatives; capabilities and integration depend on chosen tool configuration |
| Key Strength | Deep integration across PrimeSim engines, VCS mixed-signal support, PrimeWave environment, and VC Functional Safety Manager; vendor-documented sampling-driven throughput improvements (AWRS) | Tight integration with Virtuoso/Spectre and a broader reliability suite (aging, thermal, fault simulation) | May suit organizations that already standardize on Siemens tools; capability visibility depends on vendor and foundry support |
| Key Weakness | Limited independent public reviews; potential for vendor lock-in; reliance on sampling approaches requires audit justification | Enterprise-gated access and integration challenges for non-Cadence environments | Product mapping and capabilities can be less visible publicly; suitability depends on organization support and foundry signoff requirements |
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Public sources do not provide definitive market share for analog fault simulation tools specifically. Synopsys states that some semiconductor companies have adopted PrimeSim Reliability Analysis; these vendor statements indicate adoption by a number of companies but do not constitute market-share evidence.
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