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Cadence Design Systems

Cadence Design Systems

Develops EDA software, IP, verification tools

Applied Machine Learning - Functional Verification Engineer

Full-TimeDeadline 12/31/26
$154k - $286k/yr

+ Bonus + Equity + 401(k) match + Employee stock purchase plan

Expert
Bachelor's, Master's, PhD
San Jose, CA, USA
In Person

About the job

Requirements
  • A Bachelor of Science degree with a minimum of 10 years of experience, or a Master of Science degree with a minimum of 7 years of experience, or a Doctor of Philosophy degree with a minimum of 5 years of experience.
  • More than 3 years of expertise in at least one pre-silicon ASIC verification methodology, such as formal verification, SystemVerilog/UVM, or OVM.
  • Advanced skills in debugging pre-silicon verification failures using waveform viewers and simulation analysis tools.
  • Hands-on experience with industry-standard Electronic Design Automation tools such as Jasper, Xcelium, and IMC.
  • Strong programming skills in Verilog, SystemVerilog, and Python.
  • Excellent communication skills and the ability to work in a team-oriented environment.
  • A self-motivated and proactive approach to problem solving, continuous learning, and innovation.
Responsibilities
  • Apply machine learning techniques to streamline traditional pre-silicon functional verification methodologies, including formal verification and Universal Verification Methodology.
  • Develop agentic artificial intelligence solutions using large language models and current machine learning technologies to accelerate the pre-silicon design verification process.
  • Use artificial-intelligence-enhanced Electronic Design Automation tools to improve and expedite design and verification lifecycles.
  • Engage directly with customers to understand requirements and deliver practical verification strategies.
  • Collaborate with machine learning and software engineering teams to validate output correctness, efficiency, and quality.
  • Maintain current knowledge of advances in artificial-intelligence-powered hardware verification and participate in internal knowledge development.
Desired Qualifications
  • Exposure to large language models and machine learning technologies such as retrieval-augmented generation, reinforcement fine-tuning, reinforcement learning, and agentic frameworks.

About the company

Cadence Design Systems

Cadence Design Systems

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Cadence Design Systems provides software, hardware, and IP for electronic design automation (EDA) to help customers design advanced semiconductor chips and electronic systems. Its tools cover system-level design and verification, digital and analog IC design, and custom design flows, with IP offerings like Tensilica processors and DSP cores available for licensing. It differentiates itself by offering an end-to-end EDA portfolio and deep collaboration with industry leaders across implementation, verification, and IP. The goal is to help customers bring sophisticated silicon and electronics to market faster while reducing risk and improving productivity across AI, audio, video, and automotive applications.

Company Size

10,001+

Company Stage

IPO

Headquarters

San Jose, California

Founded

1988

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Q2 2026 revenue hit $1.584 billion, up 24%, with record $8.1 billion backlog.
  • Cadence launched AuraStack in July 2026 and ChipStack earlier, expanding agentic AI monetization.
  • Intel Foundry, Rapidus, and Positron AI validate Cadence's 2026 design-win momentum.

What critics are saying

  • On July 28, 2025, Cadence accepted over $140 million export-control penalties and probation.
  • China exposure remains toxic: the NUDT case ties Cadence to restricted military customers.
  • AI-design startups and NVIDIA partnerships pressure Cadence's pricing power by 2027.

What makes Cadence Design Systems unique

  • Cadence owns silicon-to-system EDA, IP, emulation, and PCB flows across the stack.
  • On July 31, 2026, Cadence certified Intel 18A-P and 14A reference flows.
  • On September 2, 2026, Cadence passed PCIe 6.0 compliance at 64 GT/s.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Life Insurance

Flexible Work Hours

Paid Vacation

Paid Sick Leave

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

0%

1 year growth

-2%

2 year growth

-2%
Daily Dose
Sep 16th, 2026
Cadence subsystem for PCIe 6.0 architecture achieves first-pass PCI Express specification compliance.

Cadence subsystem for PCIe 6.0 architecture achieves first-pass PCI Express specification compliance. Complete x8 subsystem solution in TSMC N3 process demonstrates industry readiness for mass production and de-risks adoption for AI/HPC customers. Cadence (Nasdaq: CDNS) today announced that its PHY and controller IP for the PCI Express(R)(PCIe(R) 6.0 specification, implemented in the TSMC N3 process, achieved first-pass success at the recent PCI-SIG(R) compliance workshop held in late July. The workshop marked the industry's first official event for PCIe 6.0 specification compliance testing, with Cadence's x8 subsystem solution tested at the full PCIe 6.0 specification speed of 64 GT/s. The complete Cadence subsystem solution, comprising both PHY and controller, successfully passed all official PCIe 6.0 compliance specification tests and is on PCI-SIG's Integrators List. "PCI Express is a crucial scale-up interconnect for AI/HPC data centers and AI factories, and Cadence's subsystem for the PCIe 6.0 specification delivers best-in-class performance with among the lowest power in the industry," said Marc Loinaz, vice president of research and development for high-performance PHY, Silicon Solutions Group at Cadence. "This first-pass compliance success validates our complete PHY and controller solution and gives customers confidence that our technology is fully interoperable and ready for production." The milestone underscores the importance of early ecosystem collaboration in bringing new standards to market. Cadence worked closely with PCI-SIG, test equipment providers, and industry partners in the months leading up to the official compliance workshop, conducting interoperability testing to identify and resolve potential issues before the formal evaluation. "As PCIe 6.0 technology enables the next wave of AI and high-performance computing systems, rigorous compliance and interoperability testing are essential for ecosystem success," said Brig Asay, General Manager, Network Data Center, Keysight Technologies. "Cadence's first-pass compliance achievement reflects both the quality of its PCIe 6.0 subsystem implementation and the effectiveness of comprehensive validation using Keysight's test and measurement solutions. We are pleased to support industry leaders in accelerating PCIe 6.0 technology deployment with confidence." "Cadence is a long-standing PCI-SIG member helping to further PCIe technology adoption," said Al Yanes, president and chairperson of PCI-SIG. "Cadence's PCIe 6.0 compliance milestone plays a role in the continued advancement of PCIe technology architecture." PCIe 6.0 technology addresses growing demand for high-bandwidth connectivity in AI and high-performance computing systems, where the standard is used for accelerator cards, network interfaces, and storage devices. The interface is expected to see wide adoption in data center and AI infrastructure, with broader deployment in automotive and enterprise systems following as the ecosystem matures. "Positron AI has licensed Cadence's SerDes IP for the PCIe 6.0 specification for our AI inference accelerator chip," said Thomas Sohmers, CTO at Positron AI. "Cadence's complete PCIe 6.0 subsystem built in silicon and robust interoperability testing give us confidence that our PCIe 6.0 interface will meet the high-bandwidth connectivity demands of our transformer workloads." Key features of Cadence's PCIe 6.0 technology solution include: * Complete subsystem solution with PHY and controller built in silicon * ADC and DSP-based equalization * Firmware-optimized SerDes operation * Multi-protocol flexibility and support * Optimized for low power, including support for the latest PCI-SIG engineering change notices (ECNs) * Certification for x8 configuration on TSMC N3 process PCI-SIG has continued to advance the PCIe standard to meet the needs of advanced HPC and AI workloads. Cadence offers a broad portfolio of PCIe technology solutions up to the PCIe 7.0 specification. Cadence's complete subsystem solution for PCIe 6.0 technology, including PHY and controller, is available now for SoC providers to design in. For more information on Cadence IP for PCIe 6.0 technology, visit the Cadence PCIe 6.0 and CXL PHY product page or download the Design IP brochure.

Associated Press
Sep 15th, 2026
Cadence Tensilica IP powers Analog Devices' next-gen automotive audio DSP with 5X performance boost

Cadence has announced a collaboration with Analog Devices to develop the latest generation of SHARC automotive audio processors. The partnership integrates Cadence's Tensilica DSP architecture into ADI's ADSP product family, enabling enhanced audio experiences and AI capabilities for automotive platforms. ADI is introducing the ADSP-SC84x/2184x platform, featuring the new SHARC-FX processor core developed jointly with Cadence. Built on 16nm process technology, the platform delivers five times higher performance compared to the previous generation. The SHARC-FX core supports AI-driven audio processing, including noise cancellation and voice assistance. The processors power various automotive applications, including advanced driver alerts, road noise cancellation, immersive 3D audio, and voice processing. The architecture enables on-chip AI workloads whilst maintaining real-time performance for safety-critical automotive systems.

Ticker Report
Sep 6th, 2026
Nilsine Partners LLC Makes New $3.45 Million Investment in Cadence Design Systems, Inc. $CDNS

Nilsine Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Cadence Design Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CDNS – Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 9,186 shares of the software maker’s stock, valued at approximately $3,448,000. A number of other […]

Associated Press
Sep 1st, 2026
Cadence achieves first-pass PCIe 6.0 compliance at 64 GT/s on TSMC N3 process

Cadence announced its PHY and controller IP for PCI Express 6.0, implemented in TSMC's N3 process, achieved first-pass success at the recent PCI-SIG compliance workshop in late July. The workshop marked the industry's first official event for PCIe 6.0 specification compliance testing. Cadence's x8 subsystem solution was tested at the full PCIe 6.0 specification speed of 64 GT/s. The complete subsystem, comprising both PHY and controller, successfully passed all official PCIe 6.0 compliance specification tests and is now on PCI-SIG's Integrators List. PCIe 6.0 technology addresses growing demand for high-bandwidth connectivity in AI and high-performance computing systems. The interface is expected to see wide adoption in data centre and AI infrastructure. Cadence's complete subsystem solution for PCIe 6.0 technology is available now for SoC providers.

Yahoo Finance
Aug 21st, 2026
Cramer backs Cadence Design despite AI fears as chip software firm posts $1.58B revenue, 24% YoY growth

Jim Cramer defended Cadence Design Systems on Mad Money, arguing the stock's underperformance stems from misplaced fears about AI disruption. Despite being down over 10% in 12 months, Cramer said Cadence's chip design software is indispensable and that AI is actually a tailwind for the company. Cadence reported second-quarter revenue of $1.58 billion, up 24.2% year-over-year, with earnings per share of $2.11 beating expectations. Total backlog reached a record $8.1 billion. IP revenue surged over 40%, supported by partnerships with Intel and Samsung. Management raised its full-year 2026 revenue guidance to between $6.26 billion and $6.34 billion, with earnings per share projected at $8.05 to $8.15. Cramer attributed the stock's struggles to market fears that AI tools from companies like Anthropic or OpenAI could replace Cadence's software.