TL;DR
At CES 2026, Nvidia said it will work to enable Siemens’ electronic design automation (EDA) software to run on Nvidia GPUs, aiming to accelerate the increasingly compute-intensive chip-design process. The partners also described ambitions to build digital facsimiles — from individual chips to full racks — to validate designs before hardware is produced.
What happened
During Siemens’ keynote at CES 2026, Nvidia announced a collaboration to help Siemens’ EDA software run on Nvidia GPUs. The move is intended to address rising computational demands in chip design as feature sizes shrink and transistor counts grow. Nvidia emphasized that enabling EDA workloads on its GPUs could speed development cycles and facilitate more extensive virtual testing. Both companies framed the work as part of a broader push to create digital facsimiles — or digital twins — of hardware systems, ranging from chips up to entire rack configurations, to test functionality ahead of fabrication. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang referenced these ambitions during the Siemens presentation, describing the effort as laying the groundwork to build a large-scale digital twin in the future. Exact technical details, performance metrics and timelines for wider availability were not provided in the announcement.
Why it matters
- Chip design is increasingly computationally intensive; GPU acceleration could shorten simulation and verification time.
- Running EDA tools on GPUs may enable larger or faster virtual tests, reducing the need for costly physical prototypes.
- A shift toward GPU-accelerated EDA could change compute requirements and toolchains used by semiconductor designers.
- Digital twins for chips and racks could improve pre-fabrication validation and system-level testing if realized at scale.
Key facts
- Announcement made at CES 2026 during Siemens’ keynote.
- Nvidia will help Siemens’ electronic design automation (EDA) software run on Nvidia GPUs.
- Nearly all modern chips are designed using EDA tools, which are growing more computationally demanding.
- Increased compute needs stem from shrinking feature sizes and rising transistor counts, per the announcement.
- The companies aim to create digital facsimiles — or digital twins — from chips up to entire racks for pre-build testing.
- Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang discussed the partnership and the digital-twin goal at the Siemens keynote.
- The source did not provide specific performance figures, product names, or a commercial timeline.
What to watch next
- Whether Nvidia and Siemens publish benchmarks showing measurable acceleration of EDA flows: not confirmed in the source.
- The timeline and roadmap for broader availability of Siemens EDA on Nvidia GPUs: not confirmed in the source.
- How tool compatibility and existing EDA workflows will be adapted for GPU acceleration: not confirmed in the source.
Quick glossary
- GPU: Graphics processing unit — a processor optimized for parallel computations, often used for graphics and high-throughput data processing tasks.
- EDA: Electronic design automation — software tools used to design, simulate, verify and produce electronic systems such as integrated circuits.
- Digital twin: A virtual model of a physical object or system used to simulate and test behavior before building or deploying the real-world counterpart.
- Transistor count: The number of transistors in an integrated circuit; as counts rise, design and verification workloads typically become more complex.
Reader FAQ
What did Nvidia announce at CES 2026?
Nvidia said it will help Siemens’ EDA software run on Nvidia GPUs to accelerate chip-design workflows.
Did the companies provide performance numbers or a release date?
Not confirmed in the source.
What is the digital-facsimile or digital-twin goal?
The partners described plans to create virtual replicas ranging from chips to full racks to test functionality before hardware is built.
Is this change expected to replace existing CPU-based EDA flows?
Not confirmed in the source.
AI Posted: 10:28 AM PST · January 6, 2026 Tim De Chant Nvidia to accelerate Siemens chip-design tools using its GPUs Nvidia announced today at CES 2026 that it would…
Sources
- Nvidia to accelerate Siemens chip-design tools using its GPUs
- Siemens and NVIDIA Expand Partnership to Build the …
- Siemens and NVIDIA expand partnership to build the …
- Nvidia to accelerate Siemens chip-design tools using its …
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