Cadence Design Systems has raised its 2026 financial outlook, supported by record backlog and AI-oriented demand across its design and verification portfolio. The company's shares trade at US$324.82, down 12.57% over the past 30 days and 7.16% over one year, though the five-year total shareholder return stands at 107.33%. A widely followed narrative values the stock at $403.67, about 20% above the last close, based on expectations for steady revenue expansion, firm margins, and a premium forward earnings multiple of 74.4x versus 31.4x for the wider US software sector. The company reports increasing adoption of its AI-enabled offerings, including the Cadence Cerebrus AI solution and SimAI, which have shown significant performance improvements for customers.
Qualcomm v. Arm jury trial begins, with billions of dollars at stake over royalty suspension claim
The jury trial in the lawsuit brought by U.S. semiconductor giant Qualcomm against British chip design firm Arm Holdings began on the 5th in a federal court in Delaware. Qualcomm alleges that Arm failed to provide semiconductor testing tools it was contractually obligated to supply, and that when it notified Qualcomm in 2024 of the termination of a key licensing agreement, it leaked that information to the media, harming negotiations over a chip deal with Meta Platforms. In this lawsuit, Qualcomm is seeking the right to suspend royalty payments to Arm for up to five years, and the amount involved could reach billions of dollars. In her opening statement, Qualcomm attorney Karen Dunn said Arm executives referred to Qualcomm as an "enemy" in internal documents and were concerned about a sharp drop in royalty revenue. In response, Arm attorney Greg Locascio countered that he would present evidence showing Qualcomm has in fact suffered no damages. The jury trial is scheduled to last five days and marks a new phase in the two companies' long-running dispute.
ARM · Regulation · Negative Qualcomm's lawsuit seeks to suspend royalty payments to Arm for up to five years, potentially costing Arm billions in licensing revenue.
QCOM · Regulation · Positive Qualcomm is the plaintiff seeking the right to suspend royalty payments to Arm for up to five years, potentially saving billions.
Schneider Electric to Buy PTC for About $22.6 Billion in All-Cash Deal
Schneider Electric agreed to buy PTC for about $22.6 billion in an all-cash deal aimed at tapping into the artificial-intelligence boom, sending PTC shares rallying. Qualcomm shares moved higher after the company agreed to license patents underpinning Huawei Technologies Co.'s novel LogicFolding chipmaking technique. Taiwan Semiconductor shares gained as sentiment was boosted by discussions between the Taiwanese chip giant and Elon Musk's Terafab on potential collaboration.
Synopsys Signs $1 Billion Accelerated Share Repurchase With JPMorgan
Synopsys has entered into a $1 billion accelerated share repurchase agreement with JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association. Under the terms of the ASR, the Sunnyvale, California-based chip design software company will receive an initial delivery of approximately 1,735,000 shares, with any remainder to be settled on or before January 5, 2027. The final number of shares Synopsys repurchases will be based on the average of its daily volume-weighted average share prices during the repurchase period, less a discount. Synopsys trades on Nasdaq under the ticker SNPS.
Rapidus Partners with 17 Companies Including Toshiba on Semiconductor Design
Rapidus, which aims to mass-produce advanced semiconductors, announced on the 5th that it will partner with 17 semiconductor design-related companies in Japan and abroad, including Toshiba. The partners include Toshiba Information Systems, a Toshiba subsidiary, as well as Dai Nippon Printing, TOPPAN, and major U.S. semiconductor design firms Synopsys and Cadence Design Systems. The aim is to strengthen its support system spanning everything from the design to the manufacturing of advanced semiconductors in line with customer needs, thereby winning more orders. Going forward, it plans to work with its partners to support customers' semiconductor design and increase the volume of production contracted to Rapidus.
Qualcomm Licenses Huawei's LogicFolding Chip Patents in Cross-License Deal
Qualcomm Inc. has agreed to license patents underpinning Huawei Technologies Co.'s LogicFolding chipmaking technique as part of a multiyear cross-license agreement between the two chipmakers. A Huawei spokesperson said Monday that the deal spans technologies related to 5G devices, AI services, near- and co-packaged optics and networks. The agreement helps validate the Shenzhen-based company's chipmaking capabilities, with Huawei viewing its new architecture as a breakthrough that boosts semiconductor performance and narrows the gap with industry leaders such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Huawei did not disclose the value of the cross-license agreement, which is subject to US Federal Trade Commission review under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act, applying to deals valued at more than $133.9 million. The spokesperson said Huawei expects the overall contract value of all its patent licensing agreements to exceed $6.9 billion following the deal with Qualcomm.
Cadence Launches RTL Generation Agent in ChipStack AI Super Agent
Cadence Design Systems introduced a new RTL Generation Agent within its ChipStack AI Super Agent in late September 2026, automating front-end digital design and verification from natural language. The announcement of the RTL Generation Agent came on 22 September 2026, extending ChipStack from verification into spec-to-RTL creation and updates, with early evaluations lined up with customers including Honda. Separately, Cadence tools helped Global Unichip Corp. deliver custom AI accelerators and hyperscale silicon on TSMC's advanced process technologies. Cadence's narrative projects $8.4 billion in revenue and $2.0 billion in earnings by 2029, requiring 12.9% yearly revenue growth and about a $0.6 billion earnings increase from $1.4 billion today, with a $405.47 fair value implying 15% upside to its current price. Some of the lowest ranked analysts were already assuming revenue of about US$8.1 billion and earnings near US$1.7 billion by 2029.
Artificial Intelligence › AI Compute & Accelerator Silicon Technology
CDNS · Technology · Positive Cadence launched a new RTL Generation Agent within ChipStack, extending its AI tooling from verification into spec-to-RTL creation.
CDNS · Capital · Positive Cadence's narrative projects $8.4B revenue and $2.0B earnings by 2029 with a $405.47 fair value implying 15% upside.
3443.TW · Demand · Positive Cadence tools helped Global Unichip deliver custom AI accelerators and hyperscale silicon on TSMC advanced processes.