Cadence vs Synopsys: EDA & design tools compared

November 2026 edition · assessment by Frontier Tech Intelligence

Synopsys ranks 9 on the AI Infra 100 with a score of 98; Cadence ranks 10 with 98. The eight measures are level. Cadence is based in San Jose, United States, Synopsys in Sunnyvale, United States. Cadence is named in 112 signals and Synopsys in 210.

Cadence →

San Jose, California, United States · AI Core · Semiconductor equipment, materials & critical inputs / EDA & design tools · cadence.com

Cadence is a leading electronic design automation provider, offering tools for chip design, synthesis, implementation, verification, formal analysis, low-power analysis, and 3D-IC design.

AI Infra 100 · rank 10 · score 98

Scores, AI Core (of 10)

Deployment10
Production8
Commercials10
Progress10
Technology10
Positioning10
Firepower10
Leverage10

Darker bar: ahead of the other company on that measure.

Positioning

The other EDA duopolist, with the leading position in analog and custom design, verification hardware and system analysis; sits in front of every custom accelerator program at the hyperscalers and labs.

Latest signals

  • Cadence launched the Maestro AI Model Portfolio to power AI Super Agents for semiconductor and system design.Electronics Weekly
  • Cadence Design Systems raised its annual revenue forecast as AI drives demand for chip-design software.The Elec
  • Cadence Design Systems plans to integrate semiconductor design-specific AI models with general-purpose AI models.The Elec

112 signals name Cadence.

Facts, with sources

  • >500msemiengineering.com — 2026-09-16
  • NVIDIAEE Times
  • Cadence ChipStackEE Times

32 facts on file.

Synopsys →

Sunnyvale, California, United States · AI Core · Semiconductor equipment, materials & critical inputs / EDA & design tools · synopsys.com

Synopsys is a leading provider of electronic design automation software for chip design, verification, simulation, TCAD, process modeling, physical design and signoff.

AI Infra 100 · rank 9 · score 98

Scores, AI Core (of 10)

Deployment10
Production8
Commercials10
Progress10
Technology10
Positioning10
Firepower10
Leverage10

Darker bar: ahead of the other company on that measure.

Positioning

One of the two EDA companies every accelerator, custom ASIC and HBM base die passes through before reaching a fab; also the largest design-IP vendor and, since the Ansys acquisition, the simulation layer for chips and systems.

Latest signals

  • Synopsys joined a National University of Singapore consortium for AI cooling research.Tech in Asia
  • AI infrastructure and semiconductor stocks rose in U.S. trading on October 26, 2026.Yicai
  • Synopsys and Ansys are integrating technologies for semiconductor-to-system design and analysis.MONOist (ITmedia)

210 signals name Synopsys.

Facts, with sources

  • >500mLightSolver
  • Autonomous design-verification agentsEE Times
  • FY26 revenue guidance of $9.69B-$9.74BSynopsys release, financial supplement

68 facts on file.

More comparisons

Questions this page answers

Cadence or Synopsys: which is ahead in ai core?

Synopsys ranks 9 on the AI Infra 100 with a score of 98; Cadence ranks 10 with 98. The eight measures are level. Cadence is based in San Jose, United States, Synopsys in Sunnyvale, United States. Cadence is named in 112 signals and Synopsys in 210.

How do Cadence and Synopsys compare?

Synopsys ranks 9 on the AI Infra 100 with a score of 98; Cadence ranks 10 with 98. The eight measures are level. Cadence is based in San Jose, United States, Synopsys in Sunnyvale, United States. Cadence is named in 112 signals and Synopsys in 210. Both company files carry the scores on eight measures, the facts with sources and the latest signals.

Every comparison here comes from the same files members use every day.

Members see every signal and fact behind both companies, the live ranking, the questions the signals answer and the week explained. $99 a month, 7-day trial. What Frontier Tech Intelligence is →

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