Chip design house Cadence is digging its claws into Orcad, with an agreed cash bid valuing its smaller rival at $121 million. Cadence is the market leader for electronic design automation services, at the high-end. With Orcad under its wing it gets to play a bigger game in the so-called shrink-wrapped PCB market. The two companies will combine staff and existing products, so there should be scope for savings. ®