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Cadence announced the Cadence® OrCAD® Xplore Design Platform, a connected design environment that simplifies a fragmented component-to-design workflow, bringing research, trusted content, design, supply-chain intelligence and procurement together in one environment. Designed for individual engineers and small design teams that often research and source components across disconnected tools and websites, OrCAD Xplore combines trusted manufacturer content, component intelligence and supply-chain awareness with procurement in a single design environment. Built on OrCAD X Capture and powered by the Cadence Ultra Librarian® ecosystem, OrCAD Xplore helps engineers move from component evaluation to production-ready designs faster, with fewer errors and less rework.
Cadence customers report that engineers spend more than 50% of their time outside the design tool researching components for selection, replacement and supply-chain status. By connecting component discovery, validation, simulation and sourcing, OrCAD Xplore reduces this research time by up to 80%—turning hours of manual work into minutes. For small teams with limited engineering resources, this means less time gathering and reconciling component information and more time designing products.
“Built on years of collaboration with semiconductor manufacturers, Cadence has helped enable the design of today’s most advanced ICs,” said Michael Jackson, corporate vice president and general manager of the Systems Design and Analysis Group at Cadence. “OrCAD Xplore extends that partnership beyond design and into the path to market. By bringing manufacturer expertise directly to engineers at the point of component selection, we can simplify component research, accelerate design-in and help our partners grow adoption of their products.”
Faster Path from Idea to Design
OrCAD Xplore gives engineers immediate access to manufacturer-authoritative symbols, footprints, 3D models, simulation-ready models, reference designs, documentation and application expertise within OrCAD X Capture. Ultra Librarian provides access to more than 16 million verified symbols, footprints and 3D models. Users save an average of three hours per component by avoiding manual symbol and footprint creation and verification.
OrCAD Xplore brings trusted manufacturer content, technical expertise, component intelligence and supply-chain insight directly into the design environment, helping engineers make more informed component and sourcing decisions without moving between disconnected resources. Engineers can evaluate lifecycle status, availability, pricing, lead times, compliance, sourcing risks and qualified alternatives within their workflow, while AI-powered natural-language interactions simplify component research, selection, replacement and sourcing. As manufacturers expand AI-enabled access to product content and technical resources, OrCAD Xplore connects this growing ecosystem of intelligence directly to engineers through AI-powered interactions within the design environment.
“Texas Instruments is committed to helping engineers accelerate innovation with foundational semiconductors, design expertise and robust development resources,” said Jason Cole, vice president and general manager of sensing products at Texas Instruments. “Through Cadence’s OrCAD Xplore, we can put reference designs, simulation-ready models and technical knowledge directly into the workflows engineers use every day, enabling faster evaluation, better design decisions and shorter time to market.”
“Engineers need more than component specifications to make informed design decisions. By bringing ST’s broad portfolio, reference designs and system-level expertise into their design workflow, the Cadence OrCAD Xplore Design Platform can help customers evaluate options faster and move their designs forward more efficiently and with greater confidence,” said Gerd Melder, group vice president, digital marketing at STMicroelectronics.
A Direct Channel for Partners
For semiconductor component manufacturers and distribution partners, OrCAD Xplore creates a scalable digital channel to engage engineers at the point where component decisions are made. By bringing manufacturer-verified content, technical resources, selection tools and engineering expertise directly into the design workflow, OrCAD Xplore helps engineers make faster, more informed component decisions while giving partners a closer connection to customers throughout the design-in process.
“Cadence’s OrCAD Xplore brings Murata’s component intelligence and design models directly to engineers, enabling faster component selection, improved design accuracy and greater confidence throughout the development process,” said Tom Kuhl, vice president of digital experience at Murata.
“At Molex, we're focused on becoming the easiest connector company for engineers to work with by removing friction throughout the design process,” said Ashley Quinlan, vice president of global marketing at Molex. “Our integration with Cadence OrCAD Xplore advances that commitment by making Molex solutions and engineering expertise more accessible within the tools and workflows engineers rely on to make critical architecture and component decisions.”
Connecting Design to Supply
OrCAD Xplore integrates DigiKey supply-chain insight, allowing engineers to evaluate availability, pricing and sourcing considerations as designs take shape. An integrated shopping cart enables users to purchase a complete bill of materials through DigiKey, connecting component selection directly to procurement and helping avoid late-stage supply surprises.
“At DigiKey, we are committed to helping engineers move seamlessly from design to production,” said Brooks Vigen, senior director, global strategic marketing at DigiKey. “By bringing real-time supply-chain intelligence into Cadence’s OrCAD Xplore, designers can make component decisions with greater confidence, while our integrated shopping experience streamlines the path from selection to sourcing.”
Part of a Broader Design Ecosystem
As part of the broader Cadence design ecosystem, which includes the Allegro® X Design Platform and Allegro X PCB System Capture, OrCAD Xplore provides an accessible starting point for individual engineers and small teams. It supports Cadence’s broader vision of enabling customers to grow from PCB-centric design into more complex system design workflows while maintaining continuity within the Cadence environment.
OrCAD Xplore extends Cadence’s Intelligent System Design™ strategy by connecting trusted component data, partner expertise and professional PCB design technology in one environment, reducing design time, improving design quality and accelerating time to market. As customers’ design needs evolve, OrCAD Xplore provides a foundation for expanding into the broader Cadence electronic systems design environment, while giving component partners new opportunities to engage engineers throughout increasingly sophisticated design workflows. The OrCAD Xplore partner ecosystem is designed to expand following launch, bringing additional component manufacturers and industry partners onto the platform and continually increasing the breadth of trusted intelligence and expertise available to engineers.
