In 2001, Agilent Technologies stopped selling its HFSS software product line and licensed it to Ansoft, which took on customer migration and ongoing support. The deal transferred the product line and its transition responsibilities—not Agilent’s ownership of the underlying software rights.
What did the 2001 agreement do?
On August 21, 2001, Agilent Technologies and Ansoft announced an agreement for Ansoft to license Agilent’s High Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS) product line. Agilent could also purchase up to 60 Ansoft HFSS licenses. The transition agreement was effective May 1, 2001; Ansoft’s later SEC filing identifies May 3, 2001, as the product purchase date. Agilent/Ansoft announcement Transition agreement Ansoft SEC filing
Agilent said it would no longer sell HFSS and would redirect its HFSS engineering resources to other RF and microwave design and verification tools. No personnel transferred as part of the transaction, and the announcement did not disclose financial terms. Agilent retained ownership and rights to its software and could integrate HFSS technology into other electronic-design-automation (EDA) offerings under the agreement. Agilent/Ansoft announcement
How did the customer transition work?
The agreement divided the transition into a near-term period for existing Agilent customers and a longer-term migration to Ansoft’s product and support.
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| Transition item | What the agreement provided |
|---|---|
| Agilent sales | Agilent would stop selling HFSS. Additional Agilent HFSS licenses and support were available until June 15, 2001. Customer transition announcement |
| Existing Agilent support contracts | Agilent would support its HFSS software for the duration of existing support contracts. Customer transition announcement |
| Ansoft support and training | After the transition, actively supported Agilent HFSS customers were to receive complimentary software, documentation, licenses, training and support from Ansoft. Customer transition announcement |
| Model conversion | Ansoft planned to provide translators by November 1, 2001, to automatically convert customers’ 2D and 3D models from Agilent format to Ansoft format. This was a stated plan, not evidence here that every conversion was completed by that date. Customer transition announcement |
Ansoft described its HFSS as a “drop-in” replacement for Agilent HFSS in existing 3D electromagnetic design flows. The translator plan addressed the practical obstacle of moving existing models between the two vendors’ formats. Agilent/Ansoft announcement Customer transition announcement
What was HFSS used for?
HFSS was engineering software for three-dimensional electromagnetic analysis. It used finite-element simulation to help radio-frequency (RF) and microwave hardware engineers design components. The announced application areas included wireless and wireline communications, aerospace and defense; Ansoft’s SEC filing described HFSS as its flagship 3D electromagnetic field simulation software. Agilent/Ansoft announcement Ansoft SEC filing
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How are Agilent HFSS, Ansoft HFSS and ANSYS HFSS related?
The 2001 deal moved the Agilent HFSS product line and customer transition work to Ansoft. Ansoft’s SEC filing records the Agilent HFSS software purchase on May 3, 2001. ANSYS completed its acquisition of Ansoft in 2008, carrying the HFSS product lineage into the ANSYS portfolio. Ansoft SEC filing
This lineage explains why historical references may name Agilent, Ansoft or ANSYS in connection with HFSS: they refer to different stages in the product’s corporate history, not three unrelated simulators. The cited historical records do not establish present-day license availability, pricing or support terms.
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