Contact: Charlotte Tallman

805-756-6402; ctallman@calpoly.edu

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Cal Poly announced an agreement with Cadence Design Systems Inc., one of the leaders in the electronic design automation (EDA) software, to provide students, faculty and staff access to a vast array of its computational software products.

The agreement aims to empower students to explore the development of advanced electronics, utilizing new design methods, allowing them to enter professional life with hands-on experience using widely utilized software.

“This donation provides a great opportunity to offer our students, faculty and staff access to advanced technology from Cadence,” said Amy S. Fleischer, dean of the College of Engineering. “The world-class Cadence computational software significantly enhances our Learn by Doing approach, allowing our students to work with the actual software they would use in their professional lives.”

Computational software spans industries such as semiconductors, systems, weather prediction, medical, scientific software, and financial and business analytics; it combines complex algorithms and sophisticated numerical analysis for heuristics and pattern recognition processes.

Cal Poly joins Cadence University Program, made up of over 260 universities and departments in the U.S., Brazil and Canada. As a member, Cal Poly will have access to the San Jose, California-based firm’s software licenses.

The sizeable computational software donation enables the university’s Learn by Doing model by placing Cadence’s advanced software products directly in the hands of students and faculty. The software solutions allow Cal Poly to prepare future electronics professionals, providing practical training that can benefit the career paths of students and the entire Cal State University system. Cal Poly is one of 11 CSU and nine University of California campuses in the corporation’s university program.

Cadence software facilitates the development of chips, boards and complete systems for the most innovative technology areas, including hyperscale computing, 5G communications, automotive, mobile, health care, and aerospace and defense. In addition, Cadence is the only EDA company accredited by the Department of Defense as a trusted supplier, which is an advantage for students who pursue public sector careers.

Cadence executives met with Cal Poly officials on campus Nov. 9.

Michael Jackson, corporate vice president of research and development in the Custom IC & PCB Group at Cadence, said the university “known well beyond California as an outstanding technical and research institution” has demonstrated academic excellence.

“It is critical that the university’s next generation of engineers and faculty have access to advanced computational software solutions to ensure innovation continues to accelerate,” he said. “Our views align with Cal Poly’s, and we believe strongly that the university’s Learn by Doing approach will benefit future generations.”

About Cadence

Cadence (Nasdaq: CDNS) is a pivotal leader in electronic systems design, building upon more than 30 years of computational software expertise. The company applies its underlying Intelligent System Design strategy to deliver software, hardware and IP, or intellectual properties that turn design concepts into reality. Cadence customers are the world’s most innovative companies, delivering extraordinary electronic products from chips to boards to complete systems for the most dynamic market applications, including hyperscale computing, 5G communications, automotive, mobile, aerospace, consumer, industrial and health care. For eight straight years, Fortune magazine has named Cadence one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For. Learn more at cadence.com.

About Cal Poly

Cal Poly is a nationally ranked public university located in San Luis Obispo, California, known for its Learn by Doing philosophy. Each year about 22,000 top-tier students come to Cal Poly to put knowledge into action, taking their learning outside the classroom as they prepare for careers in areas such as engineering, agriculture, science, business, humanities and the built environment. Cal Poly’s hands-on approach, small class sizes and close student-faculty mentorships result in graduates Ready Day One to impact their communities, California and the world.