Synopsys’ $34 Billion Ansys Deal Gets UK Antitrust Scrutiny (1)

Synopsys Inc.’s $34 billion takeover of software developer Ansys Inc. will be investigated by the UK’s antitrust watchdog amid potential competition concerns over the all-American deal.

The Competition and Markets Authority said Friday it had opened a formal “phase one” merger probe into the acquisition and set a Dec 20. date to decide whether to escalate it to an in-depth probe.

Synopsys, based in Sunnyvale, California, makes software used to design semiconductors, while Ansys makes simulation software used by engineers to help predict how products will work in the real world. The purchase, which was announced in January, ...