Incubator Programs for Sustainable Innovation The Cadence University Incubator program supports university incubators and early-stage startup companies through their design-to-prototyping journey. By sharing design excellence practices and tape out know-how, and by providing affordable access to industry-grade Cadence technology, the Cadence University Incubator program reduces cost and time in achieving a proof of concept. Startups in the program receive online training, remote development options, and design services, plus mentorship and networking opportunities. ANAFLASH Inc., an energy-efficient edge computing company, joined the Cadence Incubator Program through UC Berkeley’s Skydeck Accelerator. Using the CloudBurst™ platform and other Cadence tools, ANAFLASH is developing a brain inspired processor for edge AI devices. The processor is highly energy efficient and easily scalable because of its proprietary computing-in-memory architecture deployed in a standard logic process.
Cadence has empowered us to conduct this ground-breaking research through its generous incubator program. Using the Cadence CloudBurst platform, a cloud-based design environment, enables us to work remotely in a secure environment and gives our team the ability to selectively burst to meet peak demand without impacting existing flows and methodologies. Seung-Hwan Song, CEO and Co-Founder, ANAFLASH Inc.
Innovation at Cadence Cadence encourages its employees to generate ideas for new products, solutions to address customers’ most difficult challenges, and improvements to existing Cadence products and processes. Game-changing innovation happens when every employee brings their diverse skills, knowledge, and experiences to the table.
Turning Ideas into Innovations Cadence’s Digital Garage and Idea Maker Labs are two programs that allow Cadence engineers to bring their innovative ideas to light. Both programs encourage engineers to think creatively, beyond their day to day jobs, to develop ideas into innovations. At the Idea Maker Labs, employees can put forward their own original ideas and work alongside a team of engineers to test and develop the ideas. During this process they build a better understanding of the innovation and potential market. This results in prototypes and plans, which are reviewed by R&D management for further funding to develop into new products. In the first year of activity, dozens of ideas were submitted from across the R&D organization, with a number of those ideas going through the process and graduating to the product development stage. Through the Digital Garage program, engineers can submit a proposal any time, through a digital application. Proposals are reviewed by the Digital Garage technical committee, which picks proposals that are innovative or ground-breaking and that could solve a current technical challenge or customer problem. The committee support to the engineers extends by acting as a sounding board, mentoring and helping the employees or team make technical and business connections. Although success is a high priority for the Digital Garage, equally as important is the exploration and creativity of thought.
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