Inovys

Inovys operated as a specialized provider of solutions for the semiconductor industry, focusing on yield enhancement, failure analysis, and design debugging. Established in 1999 and based in Pleasanton, California, the company developed a suite of tools aimed at accelerating the semiconductor manufacturing process.

The firm's business model centered on providing both hardware and software that bridged the gap between electronic design automation (EDA) and production testing. Its product portfolio included the Personal Ocelot, a desktop validation system for integrated circuit (IC) development; the Ocelot ZFP, a test system for complex systems-on-chips (SoCs); and FlopPlot, a software tool designed to identify and diagnose IC faults. This technology was developed to substantially reduce the time required for design debugging, from weeks to mere hours, and to lower production test costs.

Inovys catered to a global clientele that included integrated device manufacturers (IDMs), fabless semiconductor companies, foundries, and test subcontractors. The company's solutions were applied across the computing, consumer, and communication electronics verticals. As a venture-backed entity, Inovys secured $38.8 million in funding from investors such as Storm Ventures, Palomar Ventures, and Synopsys, which fueled its development and market penetration efforts. The company's trajectory culminated in its acquisition by Verigy, a semiconductor test company, in a deal finalized on January 7, 2008, integrating Inovys's diagnostic and yield acceleration tools into Verigy's V93000 SoC test platform.

Keywords: semiconductor test, yield enhancement, failure analysis, design debug, integrated circuit diagnostics, EDA, SoC testing, fabless, foundry services, semiconductor manufacturing, Verigy acquisition, yield acceleration, IC fault detection, silicon debug, design-for-test, production test cost reduction, test systems, semiconductor capital equipment, Paul Sakamoto, Storm Ventures