Cadence Design Systems

Description

Cadence Design Systems develops EDA software, emulation hardware, verification IP, design IP, and offers services for hosted design and design services for advanced ICs and development of custom IP.

Cadence is organized around major design activities for semiconductor companies, including functional verification, custom IC design, digital IC design and signoff, system interconnect design, and design for manufacturing.

• HQ: San Jose, CA, USA
• Website: https://www.cadence.com

Founded by Cadence:

• ProPlus Design Solutions Inc. in 2006, selling additional shares reducing its ownership to 37% for approximately $18.6M.
• SPIRIT Consortium in 2003.
• SpinCircuit Inc. in 2000.
• Alchemy Semiconductor in 1999. Seed money from Cadence and first round funding from Telos Venture Partners.
• Telos Venture Partnership in 1995.
• IMS in 1995. For the IMS IPO (7/21/1995) 375,000 shares were sold by IMS and 2,225,000 shares were sold by Cadence. At this point Cadence continued to own about 60% of the company in 1997.
• Accent S.R.L. in 1993.
• Open Verilog International in 1990.

Invention: URM in 2007.

Acquired companies/assets:

• EMA Design Automation in May 2026.
• FlowCAD in May 2026.
• Hexagon AB’s Design & Engineering business in February 2026 for approximately €2.7B.
• ChipStack in November 2025.
• Secure-IC in October 2025.
• Arm Artisan foundation IP business in August 2025.
• VLAB Works from Australian Semiconductor Technology Corporation (ASTC) in June 2025.
• Sold the Process Proximity Compensation product line to Silvaco in March 2025.
• BETA CAE Systems in June 2024 for approximately $1.24B.
• Invecas in January 2024.
• Intrinsix Corporation from CEVA in October 2023.
• SerDes and memory interface PHY IP business from Rambus in September 2023.
• Cascade Technologies in November 2022.
• OpenEye Scientific in September 2022.
• Future Facilities in July 2022.
• Verifyter in 2022.
• Pointwise in April 2021.
• NUMECA in February 2021.
• InspectAR in August 2020.
• Integrand Software in February 2020.
• AWR Corporation from National Instruments for $160M in cash in January 2020.
• nusemi inc. in 2017.
• Rocketick in 2016.
• Transwitch Corp. in 2014; acquired high-speed interface IP assets, including silicon-proven controllers and PHY IP for Ethernet BaseT and display standards including HDMI, DisplayPort and MHL.
• Forte Design Systems in 2014.
• Jasper Design Automation in 2014 for $170M cash; Jasper had $24M in cash and short term receivables.
• Cosmic Circuits in 2013.
• Tensilica in 2013 for $326M in cash.
• Evatronix IP Design Business in 2013.
• Sigrity Inc. in 2012 for $78.5M in cash.
• Altos Design Automation Inc. in 2011.
• Denali Software Inc. in 2010 for $296.8M in cash.
• Taray Inc. in 2010.
• Nascentric Inc. in 2009; asset purchase.
• Knowlent Corp. in 2008; asset purchase.
• Chip Estimate Corp. in 2008 for $9.4M in cash.
• Invarium Inc. and Clear Shape Technologies in 2007 for $75.5M cash.
• Praesagus Inc. in 2006 for $25.8M.
• Verisity Ltd. in 2005 for $325.4M.
  Neolinear Inc. in 2004 for $78.1M.
• eTop Design Automation in 2004.
• Verplex Systems Inc. in 2003 for $87.6M in cash.
• Japanese customers of Cadence software in 2003 for $78.7M.
• Get2Chip Inc. in 2003 for $80.5M.
• K2 Technologies Inc. and SpinCircuit in 2003, total of $18.9M.
• Q Design Automation in 2003 for $9.2M in cash.
• Celestry Design Technologies Inc. in 2003 for $65.7M cash.
• DSM Technologies Inc. in 2002 for 6,138 shares.
• Plato Design Systems in 2002; reported to be $50M and earn out potential of $25M.
• Antrim Design Systems Inc. in 2002.
• Emulation Division of Mitsui Bussan in 2001.
• Silicon Perspective Corp. in 2001 for $132.5M in stock.
• CadMOS Design Technology Inc. in 2001.
• Design Acceleration Inc. in 1999 for $2.9M cash.
• Quickturn Design Systems Inc. in 1999 for about $24.6M in stock.
• OrCAD in 1999 for $131.4M.
• Diablo Research Co. LLC in 1999 for $39.9M.
• Esperan Ltd. in 1998.
• Bell Labs DA group of Lucent in 1998 for $58M cash.
• Ambit Design Systems Inc. in 1998 for $260M cash.
• Cooper and Chyan Technology Inc. in 1997 for 22.8 million shares, worth about $418M.
• High Level Design Systems in 1996 for 5.2 million shares, worth about $101.4 million.
• Parsec Software Inc. in 1994 for 84,000 shares of common stock valued at $1.2 million.
• Comdisco Systems in 1993.
• Seed Solutions Inc. in 1992.
• Sedco in 1992.
• Pinebush Technologies in 1991.
• Valid Logic Systems in 1991 for $200M in stock.
• Helios Software Engineering Ltd. in 1990.
• Automated Systems Inc. in 1990, disposed of company in 1993.
• Tangent Systems Corp. in 1989.
• Gateway Design Automation in 1989 for $72M.
• ECAD Inc. and SDA Systems Inc. in 1988; ECAD and SDA merged to become Cadence Design Systems.

Subsidiaries:

• Cadence PANTA IP cores became a unit of Cadence Design Systems in 2013.
• Cadence Design Foundry became a unit of Cadence Design Systems in 2002.
• Tality Corp. became a unit of Cadence Design Systems in 2000.
• Spectrum Services became a unit of Cadence Design Systems in 1993.
• Alta Group of Cadence became a unit of Cadence Design Systems in 1993.