What Is EDA Software? A 2026 Guide to Tools and Companies

Last updated: October 27, 2026

Key Takeaways

• PCB EDA connects packaged components on a board; chip EDA designs the integrated circuits inside those components.
• Common EDA tasks include schematic capture, layout, simulation, verification, and manufacturing output.
• Cadence, Siemens, Synopsys, Altium, Keysight, and Zuken offer tools for different parts of electronics design.
• Flux's AI agent picks real parts from datasheets, draws schematics, places and routes boards, and runs ERC and DRC as it works.

What does EDA software do?

Electronic design automation software helps an engineering team move from an electrical idea to a design that can be checked and manufactured. A product may include several tools, or it may focus on one part of the workflow. The work often follows these stages.

1. Capture the schematic

Schematic capture records components and their electrical connections in a diagram. Engineers use symbols and net names to express the intended circuit. The schematic gives the team a readable description of how the design should work.

Before layout, engineers review the schematic for missing connections and incorrect pin relationships. An electrical rule check (ERC) can flag selected classes of electrical issues. The engineer still needs to interpret the design and confirm that its behavior matches the requirements.

In Flux, the AI agent picks real parts from datasheets and draws the schematic with live electrical rule checks (ERC).

2. Create the physical layout

For a PCB, layout work places component footprints on the board and connects them with copper traces. The board shape, component locations, layer stackup, and routing rules affect how the design fits its mechanical and electrical constraints.

For an integrated circuit, layout means a different physical representation of the chip. EDA tools map logical elements to physical structures that must follow the manufacturing process. PCB layout and IC layout therefore use distinct data, rules, and toolchains.

In Flux, AI Auto-Layout places and routes the board.

3. Simulate circuit behavior

Simulation estimates how a design may behave before a team builds hardware. Depending on the tool and design, engineers may analyze circuit behavior, signal integrity, power delivery, or electromagnetic effects. Simulation results help teams investigate a question; they do not replace engineering review.

Check the exact simulator, models, and analysis types in the vendor's current documentation. Product families can offer different options by edition. A pilot should use the circuits and measurements that the team expects to review.

In Flux, teams can run circuit (SPICE), electromagnetic, and thermal simulations.

4. Verify the design

Verification checks whether a design follows selected electrical, physical, and manufacturing rules. A design rule check (DRC) can flag issues such as spacing or geometry violations. IC design also uses specialized checks that validate a chip against its implementation requirements.

Rule checks depend on the configured rules and the design data they can inspect. Engineers need to review the findings, resolve issues, and confirm that the final design meets its requirements. A clean report is one input to a release process, not a substitute for that process.

In Flux, the AI agent runs electrical rule checks (ERC) and design rule checks (DRC) as it works.

5. Prepare manufacturing output

PCB tools generate files that describe a board to fabrication and assembly partners. Common outputs include layer data, a bill of materials, and pick-and-place information. The required set depends on the manufacturer and the product workflow.

IC design tools prepare a different set of implementation data for semiconductor manufacturing. Teams should confirm the required outputs with their manufacturing partners and use the documentation for the selected EDA tool.

In Flux, teams can export Gerber, IPC-2581, ODB++, BOM, pick-and-place, and STEP files. They can also get fabrication quotes and place orders.

PCB EDA vs. chip EDA

PCB EDA is used to design boards that hold and connect packaged components such as processors, connectors, and passives. Its workflow includes a schematic, component footprints, board placement, routing, design checks, and files for board fabrication and assembly.

Chip EDA is used to design integrated circuits. The work can include logic design, synthesis, physical implementation, timing analysis, and verification. It follows semiconductor process rules and produces data for chip manufacturing.

The two disciplines connect, but they are not interchangeable. A PCB engineer selects and connects components on a board. A chip engineer designs or verifies the integrated circuits that may become components on that board. A team choosing software should first identify which design layer it needs to work on.

Some vendors sell products for both disciplines. Others focus on PCB design, RF and microwave design, or a specific part of semiconductor development. Compare each product by its intended job rather than grouping every tool under one general EDA label.

The design level also shapes the data that a team creates and shares. PCB design centers on components, footprints, copper layers, and board rules. Chip design works with logic, physical implementation, timing, and process rules. A single organization may use both disciplines, but each requires its own libraries, checks, and manufacturing handoff. This distinction helps explain why an EDA portfolio can include products that do not replace one another. Shared terms do not mean that the tools use the same design files or manufacturing process.

How AI changes EDA software

Traditional EDA tools wait for an engineer to complete each stage: schematic capture, layout, simulation, verification, and manufacturing output. The engineer performs each step and moves the design to the next. In Flux, the AI agent plans and does multi-step design work. The engineer reviews its work.

EDA companies and tools compared

Flux: an AI hardware engineer in the browser

Flux is an AI hardware engineer for PCB-based devices. Its AI agent works from requirements toward manufacturing files. It plans the design, picks real parts from datasheets, draws the schematic, places and routes the board, and runs electrical rule checks (ERC) and design rule checks (DRC) as it works. This connects the design plan to schematic capture, board layout, routing, and checks. Engineers can review the design as the agent completes each stage.

The public library has 734,000+ parts with live pricing and availability. Teams can edit the same project in real time, leave comments, and share it with a link. Flux imports KiCad, Altium, EAGLE, EasyEDA, and PADS projects with layout included. It exports Gerber, IPC-2581, ODB++, BOM, pick-and-place, and STEP files. Teams can get fabrication quotes and place orders.

Flux works beyond the PCB as part of a complete device. The AI hardware engineer works on firmware, mechanical parts and enclosures, and wire harnesses. Engineers can also use Circuit (SPICE), electromagnetic, and thermal simulation.

Flux runs in the browser and needs an internet connection. It is for PCB-based hardware, not chip (IC) design. Teams with established Cadence or Siemens flows need migration time before moving work to Flux.

Cadence: best for a broad EDA portfolio

Cadence's OrCAD X page describes PCB design products for schematic capture, layout, simulation, and collaboration. Cadence also offers tools for IC design and verification, and lists multiple OrCAD X editions with different product scopes. OrCAD X is sold through commercial sales and reseller channels.

Siemens: best for electronic systems and PCB design

Siemens Xpedition is a scalable electronic systems design platform. Siemens positions the product family for independent engineers through global enterprises. It also provides a separate IC design portfolio and sells Xpedition through sales and reseller channels.

Synopsys: best for semiconductor design and verification

Synopsys describes its EDA portfolio as software for electronic design and verification. Its tools serve semiconductor workflows, including design and verification tasks. This is a different focus from a PCB editor used to place and route packaged components on a board.

Altium: best for schematic-to-PCB workflows

Altium Designer is an integrated PCB design environment. Altium describes schematic capture, PCB layout, simulation, and manufacturing documentation in one product. Its data model is intended to connect stages of the electronics design process. Altium Designer is a Windows desktop application sold through subscription plans.

Keysight: best for RF and microwave design

Keysight PathWave Design includes EDA software for RF, microwave, and high-speed digital PCB work. The vendor describes tools across schematic capture, simulation, layout, and verification. Its portfolio can be relevant when a project requires RF or microwave analysis.

Zuken: best for advanced PCB and multi-board systems

Zuken CR-8000 is a PCB design product family. Zuken describes capabilities for system planning, detailed PCB design, multi-board layout, mechanical integration, and analysis. The product page is the source for the current scope of each CR-8000 tool.