Prolific's electronic design automation (EDA) software is used in creating standard cells for semiconductors, and optimizing those standard cell libraries for more efficient use of power and silicon real estate. The company also competes in the semiconductor intellectual property (SIP) market, offering standard cell layout software and netlists. Customers include Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Atmel, and Dongbu HiTek (a contract semiconductor manufacturer). Prolific was founded in 1995 by Paul de Dood, president and CEO, who once was a chip designer and a manager for Sun Microsystems.