Synopsys appoints former Deloitte operations chief Peter Shimer to board to bolster AI-driven scaling

Synopsys taps former Deloitte operations chief to strengthen governance and scaling

Sunnyvale, Calif. — Synopsys appoints Peter A. Shimer to its board of directors and names him to the audit committee, the company says, positioning an experienced operator to help guide corporate governance as the electronic design automation (EDA) firm accelerates AI-enabled product development. The appointment is effective immediately and comes as Synopsys expands tools that link silicon design to system-level, software-defined products.

Boardroom move to steer AI-driven design expansion

Shimer brings four decades at Deloitte, where he serves in roles including chief operating officer, chief financial officer and, most recently, interim chief executive officer in 2022 and 2023. During his tenure at Deloitte, the professional services firm’s annual revenue rises more than 135% to about $30 billion, and he leads large-scale operational projects such as expansion of Deloitte University and a global enterprise resource planning implementation. Synopsys says those experiences will inform the firm’s internal controls and operational scaling as it grows R&D and global delivery.

Synopsys President and CEO Sassine Ghazi praises Shimer as an expert adviser on strategy, financials and corporate governance who will support the company’s transformation to empower engineers across industries to design and deliver AI-powered, silicon-to-systems products. Shimer says he is honored to join Synopsys at a time when R&D teams increasingly design silicon-powered, software-defined, AI-enhanced systems and the company has an opportunity to provide essential tools and solutions. The company expects his financial stewardship and operational experience to strengthen audit oversight and guide investment decisions as Synopsys expands its product set.

Cross-industry perspective and healthcare AI links

Shimer also chairs the executive committee of the Cancer Artificial Intelligence Alliance, a consortium of four academic medical centers building AI-enabled cancer laboratories using a federated learning platform, and serves on the board of Alaska Airlines. Synopsys notes his cross-industry perspective is relevant as the company serves semiconductor, automotive, cloud and healthcare customers deploying AI in design and clinical settings.

Operational and strategic implications

Analysts say the appointment reinforces Synopsys’s emphasis on governance and scalable operations as it pushes deeper into AI-enhanced EDA tools and system-level solutions, while the company continues investing in software and verification technologies that address complex chip-to-system challenges.