Cadence Design Systems, Inc (Nasdaq: CDN, NYSE: CDN) is an electronic design automation (EDA) software company, founded in 1988 by the merger of SDA Systems and ECAD.

As of 2004, Cadence is the world's largest supplier of electronic design technologies and engineering services. Cadence products and services are used to accelerate and manage the design of semiconductor devices, computer systems, networking equipment, telecommunications equipment, consumer electronics, and other electronics based products. With approximately 4,850 employees and 2003 revenues of approximately $1.1 billion, Cadence has sales offices, design centers, and research facilities around the world. The company is headquartered in San Jose, California, and trades on both the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq under the symbol CDN.

Cadence products for EDA manage the entire process, including system design, logic synthesis, and layout of integrated circuits. In addition, the company has other related products, including tools for integrated circuit packaging and PCB design. Their software offerings are organized around "platforms" targeted at various types of design tasks which include:

• Virtuoso, a suite of programs for designing full-custom integrated circuits; typically analog, mixed-signal, RF, and standard-cell designs but also memory and FPGA circuits.
• Encounter, includes floorplanning , synthesis, test, and place and route-tools for creation of digital integrated circuits. Typically a digital design starts from Verilog netlists.
• Incisive, includes tools for simulation and functional verification of Verilog, VHDL, and SystemC netlists. Also includes hardware emulation.
• Silicon-Package-Board, includes tools for co-design of integrated circuits, packages, and PCBs.
• Allegro is used to design PCBs.
• Concept is used to draw schematics and is usually fed into Allegro.

In addition to EDA software, Cadence provides design services for electronic design and manufacture industries.

Acquisitions and mergers

• April 7, 2005: acquired Verisity , Ltd., a provider of verification process automation solutions ($315 mln., all-cash).

Notable persons

• Joseph Costello, CEO, 1988–1997.
• Alberto Sangiovanni-Vincentelli, co-founder.

External links

• http://www.cadence.com/