Cadence
More info
- Released
- 1988
- Headquarters
- San Jose, California
- Type
- EDA software
The other half of the EDA duopoly, strongest where the circuit turns into geometry and analog electronics.
Cadence Design Systems was formed in 1988 by merging SDA Systems and ECAD. Where Synopsys grew out of logic synthesis, Cadence's weight sits at the physical end: Virtuoso for analog and custom design, Innovus for place and route, and Palladium boxes that emulate entire chips before they exist.
The industry's most memorable feud was about source code: in 1995 Cadence sued upstart Avant! for walking off with Cadence code, and several employees were convicted. Avant! was then bought in 2002 by — Synopsys. Lip-Bu Tan, CEO from 2009 to 2021, became CEO of Intel in 2025.