- Valid Logic Systems
Valid Logic Systems was one of the first commercial EDA
electronic design automation companies. It was founded in the early 1980s, along withDaisy Systems Corporation andMentor Graphics , collectively known as DMV.Initially, Valid built both hardware and software, for
schematic capture ,logic simulation ,static timing analysis , and packaging. Much of the initial software base derived fromSCALD ("Structured Computer-Aided Logic Design"), a set of tools developed to support the design of theS-1 supercomputer atLawrence Livermore National Laboratories. Later, Valid expanded into IC design tools and intoprinted circuit board layout.At first, Valid ran schematic capture on a proprietary UNIX
workstation , the Scaldsystem, with static timing analysis, simulation, and packaging running on a VAX or IBM-compatible mainframe. Within a few years, the (still proprietary) workstations were powerful enough to run all of the software. However, by the mid-1980s, general purpose workstations were powerful enough, significantly cheaper, and had given rise to a significant sector of the software industry, making them a better value on several counts. Companies such asMentor Graphics andCadence Design Systems took this path, and sold software only to run on standard workstations. However, the president of Valid, Jerry A. Anderson, felt that Wall Street would never adequately value a company that did not produce hardware, and insisted that the company's products continue to be bundled. Eventually he was over-ruled by the board, but by then, considerable time had been lost to competitors. By 1990, almost all Valid software was running on general purpose workstations, primarily those fromSun Microsystems .Valid acquired several companies such as Telesis (PCB layout), Analog Design Tools, and
Calma (IC layout). In turn, Valid was acquired byCadence Design Systems in 1991.
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