San Jose chip-design software maker Cadence joins U.S. Energy Department's AI science effort
Cadence will lend its design and simulation tools to national laboratories working on chips, quantum computing and data center energy use.
Cadence Design Systems, a San Jose company that makes software engineers use to design computer chips, said Oct. 29 that it has joined a U.S. Department of Energy effort to use AI to speed up science.
The Genesis Mission was created by an executive order in November 2025. It links the government's supercomputers, AI systems and data across the department's 17 national laboratories, with a goal of doubling the output of American science and engineering within a decade.
Cadence said it will provide AI-powered design and simulation tools and expert help. Simulation means testing a design on a computer before building it. The work will focus on advanced chips, quantum computers and making data centers use less energy. Cadence also said it will help train workers and students through courses built with the labs and universities.
The Energy Department says the larger aim is to shrink the time some discoveries take from years to months. It wants AI to speed up nuclear and fusion power and modernize the electric grid for affordable, reliable energy, and to strengthen national security, including keeping U.S. nuclear weapons safe and reliable.
Cadence said it already works with several national labs, including Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore. The company did not say whether money is involved or when results are expected.
Source: Cadence, "Cadence Joins the Genesis Mission Consortium," Oct. 29, 2026; U.S. Department of Energy, Genesis Mission.