X-FAB and Cadence strengthen collaboration
The joint solution combines X-FAB’s process expertise and PDKs with the advanced capabilities of Cadence’s Virtuoso Studio design migration technology, enabling customers to transition designs quickly, efficiently, and confidently.
As today’s CMOS technologies continue to evolve, identifying an effective design migration path has become an urgent requirement. The need to move existing IP to smaller, more advanced geometries is increasingly driven by demands for higher performance, lower power consumption, and reduced silicon area. Semiconductor developers must reverify, adjust, or redesign to ensure functionality is preserved without compromising the benefits of the target node. Adopting fast, reliable, and cost-effective migration strategies is also essential to maintaining product lifecycles and meeting market commitments, while simultaneously unlocking the gains of advanced process technologies.
Through the expanded collaboration, X-FAB customers gain access to a proven migration methodology supported by Cadence Virtuoso Studio, a next-generation tool that brings a new level of automation for custom IC design and layout migration. The solution enables a rapid and straightforward path between technology nodes, supported by built-in optimization capabilities that help achieve right-first-time results. A successful proof of concept has already demonstrated migration from 180 nm to 110 nm, with the broader offer supporting a range from 1 µm to 110 nm.
A key element of the joint approach is tight integration between the Cadence migration environment and X-FAB’s PDKs. While Cadence provides the design migration framework and circuit re-optimization tools, X-FAB contributes deep process knowledge and device mapping expertise. Customers receive dedicated mapping files to enable accurate translation of devices between technologies, significantly reducing complexity while preserving critical performance parameters.
“With the PDK support of Cadence Virtuoso Studio design migration, we enable our customers to transition smoothly between technologies,” said Melanie Wilhelm, Design Technology Manager at X-FAB. “The approach allows us to deliver a highly efficient and reliable migration path. The X-FAB engineering team is committed to providing this level of support, helping customers stay agile and responsive in an increasingly demanding market landscape.”
The collaboration builds on an established relationship between X-FAB and Cadence that extends across many electronic design automation (EDA) domains, now with a dedicated focus on migration workflows. By aligning methodologies and leveraging complementary expertise, the companies are enabling customers to accelerate development cycles and minimize risks.
“Design migration is becoming a strategic priority for semiconductor companies navigating technology evolution, supply chain issues, and geopolitical challenges,” said Ashutosh Mauskar, Corporate Vice President of Custom Products Group at Cadence. “Our continued collaboration with X-FAB reflects a shared commitment to delivering robust, scalable solutions that simplify migration and support our customers’ long-term innovation roadmaps.”
Through a combination of advanced automation and silicon-proven process technologies, X-FAB and Cadence are helping CMOS developers move seamlessly across nodes. The result? Reduced time to market, optimized design performance, and long-term competitiveness in fast-shifting markets.
