Exclusive-Synopsys nears $2 billion-plus software unit sale to buyout firms, sources say

By Milana Vinn

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A private equity consortium led by Clearlake Capital and Francisco Partners is in advanced talks to acquire the software integrity (SIG) unit of chip designer Synopsys for more than $2 billion, according to people familiar with the matter.

Clearlake and Francisco Partners prevailed over other buyout firms that were vying for the business, the sources said.

If the talks conclude successfully, a deal could be announced as early as next week, the sources added, requesting anonymity because the discussions are confidential.

Synopsys and Francisco Partners did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Clearlake declined to comment.

Synopsys said late last year that it was planning to divest the SIG unit, which provides application security testing for software developers. Synopsys, which has a market value of $79 billion, agreed in January to acquire rival design software company Ansys for $35 billion, its largest ever deal.

Clearlake and Francisco Partners are no strangers to the sector. The two firms already jointly own Perforce Software, which provides application development tools for enterprise customers like telecommunications equipment firm Motorola Solutions, Japanese conglomerate Toshiba, and data storage firm Seagate Technology.

(Reporting by Milana Vinn in New York; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)