The manual process to move design files between tools is time consuming and can create bottlenecks
In the spring of 2021, two engineering software companies deepened a partnership to remove a quiet but costly friction from the work of radio frequency engineers — the tedious, error-prone labor of manually transferring files between simulation tools. By weaving together Keysight's PathWave ADS RFPro and Ansys's HFSS electromagnetic solver, they addressed a bottleneck that had quietly consumed weeks of development time, particularly as the complexity of 5G and emerging wireless systems continued to grow. It is a reminder that progress in technology often hinges not on grand invention, but on the patient elimination of small, stubborn inefficiencies.
- RF engineers designing for 5G, aerospace, and automotive systems were losing hours — sometimes weeks — manually shuttling files between two industry-standard simulation tools.
- As die-counts climbed and wireless architectures grew more complex, that manual friction was no longer a minor inconvenience but a genuine drag on product timelines.
- Keysight and Ansys, having first joined forces just three months earlier in February 2021, moved quickly to deepen the integration — directly linking PathWave ADS RFPro with the widely trusted Ansys HFSS finite element solver.
- The new link gives engineers a choice of solvers within a single environment, eliminating the need to reconfigure simulations or translate files between platforms.
- Scheduled to ship in summer 2021 as part of the ADS 2022 release, the integration promises to return weeks of lost time to engineers — time that can now be spent on design rather than file management.
In May 2021, Keysight Technologies and Ansys announced they were expanding a collaboration that had begun only three months earlier, this time connecting their respective simulation tools in a way that would spare RF engineers a familiar and costly frustration. The integration linked Keysight's PathWave Advanced Design System — specifically its RFPro electromagnetic simulation environment — directly with Ansys's HFSS electromagnetic solver, eliminating the manual file transfers that had long consumed hours or even weeks of engineering setup time.
The pain point was well understood by both companies. Engineers working on RF and microwave circuits for 5G networks, aerospace, and automotive applications had routinely used both tools in sequence, but moving design data between them was a slow, error-prone process. As wireless architectures grew more complex and die-counts rose in anticipation of 5G and eventual 6G systems, that friction had become a genuine obstacle to innovation.
Tom Lillig of Keysight framed the move as part of a broader strategy to build open interfaces across design and test software, allowing customers to move from concept to production without interruption. Steve Pytel of Ansys echoed the sentiment, noting that many mutual customers were already using both platforms and deserved a seamless path between them.
Keysight's RFPro, available since 2019, had already earned wide adoption for automating electromagnetic analysis setup. The new HFSS link would give engineers the additional option of Ansys's trusted finite element solver alongside Keysight's own, all within the same environment. The integration was set to ship in summer 2021 as part of the ADS 2022 release — returning to engineers the weeks once lost to file management, and redirecting that time toward the work that actually moves technology forward.
Two software companies announced in May 2021 that they had deepened a partnership begun just three months earlier, integrating their design tools in a way that would let radio frequency engineers stop doing tedious manual work and start shipping products faster.
Keysight Technologies and Ansys had first collaborated in February. Now they were going further, connecting Keysight's PathWave Advanced Design System—specifically its RFPro electromagnetic simulation environment—directly with Ansys's HFSS electromagnetic solver. The point was simple: engineers designing RF and microwave circuits for 5G networks, aerospace systems, and automotive applications had been manually moving files between these two programs, a process that could consume hours or even weeks of setup time. The integration would eliminate that bottleneck.
For RF engineers working on increasingly complex modules, the friction was real. As die-counts climbed in applications like 5G and the emerging 6G standard, the manual coupling of design tools had become a genuine drag on development timelines. Tom Lillig, who ran Keysight's PathWave Software Solutions division, framed the partnership as part of a larger strategy: building open interfaces between design and test software so that customers could move seamlessly from initial concept through production without stopping to translate files or reconfigure simulations. "We have expanded PathWave beyond Keysight products, to connect Ansys HFSS with PathWave ADS RFPro," he said. "This partnership enables customers to solve large, complex development challenges, even faster."
Keysight's RFPro had been available since 2019 and had already found broad adoption among ADS users. It was designed to make electromagnetic analysis straightforward, automating much of the setup work that had traditionally consumed engineering time. Now, by opening it to Ansys's HFSS—a finite element solver that was already trusted and widely used across the industry—Keysight was giving its customers another option. Engineers could now choose between Momentum, Keysight's own FEM solver, or HFSS, all within the same design environment.
Steve Pytel, Ansys's vice president of product management, acknowledged the pain point directly. Many customers were already using both tools in tandem, he noted—Keysight's PathWave ADS and RFPro for circuit design, then Ansys HFSS to verify and validate the assembled RF modules. The manual process of moving design files between them was time-consuming and error-prone, especially as complexity grew. "We are collaborating with Keysight to alleviate this pain point," Pytel said, "ultimately creating an efficient workflow that drives fast results for our mutual customers and spurs innovation within the industry."
The new PathWave ADS RFPro HFSS link was scheduled to ship in the summer of 2021 as part of Keysight's ADS 2022 release. For RF engineers working on the next generation of wireless systems, the integration promised to reclaim weeks of lost time—time that could now be spent on actual design innovation rather than file management.
Notable Quotes
This partnership enables customers to solve large, complex development challenges, even faster.— Tom Lillig, general manager of Keysight PathWave Software Solutions
The manual process to move design files between tools is time consuming and can create bottlenecks—especially as die-counts increase for complex RF modules in applications like 5G and 6G.— Steve Pytel, vice president of Ansys Product Management
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does it matter that these two companies integrated their tools? Couldn't engineers just use both programs separately?
They could, and they were. But every time you move a design from one tool to another, you're manually translating files, re-entering parameters, rebuilding the simulation setup. For a complex RF module, that's not a five-minute task—it's hours or weeks of work that doesn't advance the design itself.
So this integration just automates that handoff?
Exactly. Now the tools talk to each other natively. An engineer designs in Keysight's environment, and when they need to run Ansys's electromagnetic solver, it happens without leaving the workflow. The friction disappears.
Who benefits most from this?
Anyone building RF modules for 5G networks, aerospace systems, or automotive applications. But especially teams working on the most complex designs, where die-counts are climbing and simulation setup time was becoming a real bottleneck to getting products to market.
Is this a one-time fix, or does it point to something larger?
It points to a shift in how software companies think about their products. Instead of building islands, they're building bridges. Keysight's strategy is to make PathWave a platform that connects tools from multiple vendors, not just their own. That's a different business model—and it's what customers actually need.
When did this become available?
The announcement came in May 2021, with the actual integration shipping that summer as part of Keysight's ADS 2022 release.