Cadence on Campus - Carnegie Mellon University

Cadence continues to build strong relationships with academia to foster the next generation of innovators through our Cadence Days on Campus! Cadence Day at Carnegie Mellon University, held October 2, 2023, was headlined by Anirudh Devgan, PhD, president and CEO at Cadence, where he discussed “Generative AI and the Future of Semiconductor and System Design” in a “Hot Ones” style interview with Jim Bain, Professor and Associate Dept. Head for Academic Affairs, ECE. It was fun to spice things up, and more than 100 students got to hear a casual and fun conversation that touched on several topics, including career and leadership advice for students and how Cadence is advancing the state of the technology and the efficiency of computational software through AI.

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Next up, the Cadence Undergraduate Student Lounge dedication! What was once the room where Anirudh defended his PhD thesis has now been transformed into the Cadence Undergraduate Student Lounge, adorned with a newly installed, student-designed and -built mural. At the dedication, Anirudh addressed students and faculty, sharing how CMU students will be pivotal in shaping the future of technology.

Throughout the day, Cadence leaders, Tom Beckley, Dave Pursley, Ben Sarpong, and Hui Yu, met with CMU faculty to discuss topics from quantum computing, generative AI, research opportunities, and workforce development in mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering. We look forward to continuing these conversations and seeing where Cadence and CMU can establish industry-academic collaborations.

We toured the CMU NanoFabrication and TechSpark labs and the student-built and -run HackerFab. The HackerFab gives self-motivated students an avenue to get hands-on experience, starting from nothing to building a facility capable of making transistors in a semester-long course. It is a truly inspiring space to learn the intricacies of semiconductor device fabrication.

Cadence employees, Prajval Prabhakar, Tim Rosek, Aneesh Shastry, and Yuxin Wang set up in Hamerschlag Hall with donuts and coffee to talk to students about life at Cadence and career opportunities. Getting the chance to engage with students is always an exciting opportunity. We continued our engagement by hosting a networking lunch with key leaders from various student groups. Ben Sarpong met with the students to discuss how we can partner on their programming and support their membership.

A big thank you to Ellen Hughes and Kimmy Nguyen for organizing this event and hosting us, and to Dean Bill Sanders and ECE Head, Larry Pileggi for facilitating engaging conversations. We are excited to see the impact of Cadence tools and our collaborations at Carnegie Mellon University in cultivating the next generation of innovators.