The Bundeskartellamt has approved Renesas Electronics Corporation's acquisition of Altium Limited, a major supplier of design software for printed circuit boards (PCBs). Renesas is a global semiconductor manufacturer, while Altium specializes in software for PCB design.

Altium holds a significant market position in mainstream software for moderate-complexity PCB designs. Its software includes a parts database with semiconductor information and suggestions for alternative components.

Since Renesas and Altium operate in different sectors, there are no horizontal overlaps in competition. The merger was examined for potential effects on upstream, downstream, and other markets, but no adverse effects under competition law were found.

Investigations did not reveal any competition concerns related to Altium favoring Renesas's semiconductor products in its software or Renesas accessing Altium customers' product information. Companies typically maintain separate parts databases and procurement processes for semiconductors.