Cadence Design Systems Inc

Item 1A. Risk Factors

Our operations and financial results are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including those described in the Risk Factors sections in our Annual Report and this Quarterly Report, that could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, liquidity, revenue, growth, prospects, demand, reputation, and the trading price of our common stock, and make an investment in us speculative or risky. We have updated below one of the risk factors in our Annual Report. The risks described in our Annual Report and subsequent Quarterly Reports do not include all of the risks that we face, and there may be additional risks or uncertainties that are currently unknown or not believed to be material that occur or become material.

We are subject to governmental export and import controls that subject us to liability and impair our ability to compete in global markets as well as a variety of other laws and regulations.

We must comply with the import and export restrictions and regulations and economic sanctions laws of the United States and of certain other countries in selling, providing or shipping our products and transferring our technology outside the United States, to foreign nationals (including foreign nationals within the United States) or across borders. Changes in our products or services, or changes in and continued expansion of these laws and regulations, including new or increased tariffs, trade protection measures, sanctions, trade embargoes and other trade barriers, may create delays in the introduction of our products or services into international markets and prevent our customers from deploying our products or services. In some cases, such changes have prevented and may further prevent the export or import of our products or services to certain countries, governments or persons altogether, or may result in increased costs for us, which could reduce our competitiveness, or for our customers, which could affect their purchasing behaviors. Any decreased use of our products or services or limitation on our ability to export to or sell our products or services in international markets would likely harm our business, operating results and financial condition.

For example, BIS maintaintrade control laws and frequently adds entities toregulations have expanded over the Entity List, which limits our ability to deliver past several years, including through the imposition of certain export control restrictions concerning advanced node IC products and services to thion in China, the inclusion of additional Chinese entechnology companies on BIS Entities, somy List and the issuance of which arnew regulations governing the sale our customerf certain technologies. When If a customer was are ondded to the Entity List or arbecame subject to new or expanded trade restrictions, it haswould have a negative effect on our ability to sell products and provide services to these customers. In fact, addition, the issuance of new or expanded trade restrictions, such as previously disclthe continued expansion of the military end-user and military end-use rule, the foreign-direct product rules, or any other rule that prevents a class of commodities, software or technology from export to any specific country or countries without a license, could increase our costs or expenses. For example, effective September 29, 2025, BIS issued an interim final rule that extended the export restrictions imposed on entities identified on the Entity List or the Military End-User List and other certain sanctioned parties, to entities that are 50% or more owned by one or more of such entities.

In addition, as previously disclosed, on May 23, 2025, BIS informed us that a license was required for the export, re-export or in-country transfer of EDA Software and Technology when a party to the transaction is located in China or is a Chinese "military end user" on the "Military End-User List," wherever located. On July 2, 2025, BIS informed us that the license requirements set forth in the May 23, 2025 letter from BIS were rescinded effective immediately. While we have since restored access to EDA Software and Technology for affected customers in accordance with these updated U.S. export regulations, the temporary license requirements negatively impacted our revenue in China during this period. In addition, the issuance However, in light of new or expandcontinued trade restricnegotiations, such as  between the continuUnited expansion of States and China, the military end-user and military end-use rule,United States may consider reimposing the foreign-direct product rules, or any ose or additional restrictions on ther rule that prevents a class export, re-export or in-country transfer of commodities, sEDA Software or tand Technology from export to any specific country or countries without a lor our other products and servicense, could increase our costs or expenses.s in China in the future.

Anticipated or actual changes in trade restrictions could also affect customer purchasing behaviors. Entity List restrictions and other trade restrictions may also encourage customers to seek substitute products from our competitors, including a growing class of foreign competitors and open source alternatives, that are not subject to these restrictions or to develop their own solutions, thereby decreasing our long-term competitiveness. In particular, Chinas stated national policy to be a global leader in all segments of the semiconductor industry by 2030 has resulted in and may continue to cause increased competitive capability in China. In addition, although customers on the Entity List are not prohibited from paying (and we are not restricted from collecting) for products we previously delivered to them (in compliance with applicable law), the credit risks associated with outstanding receivables from customers on the Entity List including receivables from anti-piracy enforcement efforts and litigation settlements and other trade restrictions could increase.

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We cannot predict whether or when any additional changes will be made that eliminate or decrease these limitations on our ability to sell products and provide services to these Entity List customers or other customers impacted by other trade restrictions. We are unable to predict the duration of the export restrictions imposed with respect to any particular customer, technology, country or region or the long-term effects on our business or our customers businesses. In addition, there may be indirect impacts to our business which we cannot reasonably quantify, including that certain restrictions, even if not directly applicable to us, may impact our customers' products which may have an adverse effect on demand for our products, or that a country-specific export control may limit or prevent our employees who are nationals of the restricted country from performing their duties unless a license can be obtained. Additionally, our business may also be impacted by other trade restrictions that may be imposed by the United States, China or other countries. For example, the United States and other global actors have imposed economic sanctions on Russia and other entities and individuals as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East. New or increased tariffs and other changes in U.S. trade policy, including new sanctions, have triggered and could continue to trigger retaliatory actions by affected countries.

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Failure to obtain import, export or re-export licenses or permits when required or restrictions on trade imposed by the United States or other countries could harm our business by rendering us unable to sell or ship products and transfer our technology outside of the United States or across borders. In addition, if our customers sell our products to any entity on the Entity List without our knowledge or authorization, we may be held liable for such sales. Although we have implemented risk-based policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to comply with all applicable trade restrictions, we and governmental authorities have had and may in the future have reason to inquire into particular transactions.

Specifically, in February 2021, we received an administrative subpoena from BIS requesting the production of records in connection with certain sales to our customers in China. In November 2023, we received a related subpoena from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) that also requested information regarding our business activity in China. In December 2024, we began as previously discussions with BIS and DOJ regarding preliminary findings of their investigations and a potential resolution of this matter. In June 2025, Cadence, BIS and DOJ started making substantial progress toward reaching a resolution. On losed, on July 27, 2025, Cadencewe reached a settlement with each of BIS and the DOJ that resolve these d matters.

The settlements  relateing to export control violations that took placeoccurred between 2015 and 2021 primarily involving sales initiated by a Cadence subsidiary of products and services valued at $45.3 million in total over that period to a customer in China, as well as the subsequent transfer of technology involved in those sales to a third party in China, without the requisite authorization from BIS. As part of the settlements, we have eentered into a plea agreement with the DOJ pursuant to which we have aagreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit export controls violations. The plea agreement has a three-year probationary term and includes obligations to implement additional export compliance programs and policies, including ongoing reporting and certification requirements and risk assessments, as well as obligations to cooperate in any ongoing or future investigations. The plea agreement is subject to court approval, and there are no assurances that the court will approve it.

In addition, we have entered into an administrative settlement agreement with BIS. Obligations under the administrative settlement agreement include two internal annual audits of our export compliance programs. Compliance with the administrative settlement agreement is a condition to our continued ability to export products.

Under the agreements, we have also agreed to pay paid BIS and the DOJ aggregate net penalties and forfeitures of $140.6 million during the fiscal quarter three months endinged September 30, 2025.

Failure to comply with the terms of the plea agreement, the administrative settlement agreement or our probation could result in further criminal, civil, or administrative proceedings or denial of export privileges. Such failure or any resulting further government action could materially and adversely affect our business, operating results, reputation and financial condition. Further, our ongoing obligations under these agreements will generally apply to any new business entities we acquire, which could limit our ability to acquire new businesses that may be strategically important to us, and our continued acquisition and integration of other businesses could increase our risk of a violation. Our ongoing obligations under these agreements will also generally apply to any purchaser of our company or our material business operations, which could deter a potential acquisition of our company. In addition, political, media or other scrutiny surrounding these matters or their outcome could cause significant expense and reputational harm and distract senior executives from managing normal day-to-day operations. Entry into the settlements, including the plea agreement and the administrative settlement agreement, exposes us and our directors, officers and employees to further inquiries or other actions by other governmental authorities, including in China, which could materially and adversely affect our ability to operate and do business in China. We could also face challenges in our future business dealings with government agencies, including the potential for debarment from U.S. government contracts. Any of the foregoing could further materially and adversely affect our business, operating results, reputation and financial condition.

The laws and policies of the United States and other countries in this area are evolving and changing, and we have experienced and may continue to experience challenges in complying with new rules as they become effective. The application and interpretation of these laws and policies can also be uncertain and change over time, and we may need to adjust our policies and procedures accordingly. In addition to the matters described above, any further failure or alleged failure to comply with these laws and policies could have negative consequences, including significant legal costs, government investigations, penalties, denial of export privileges and debarment from participation in U.S. government contracts, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, reputation and financial condition.

In addition to export control laws, our global operations are subject to numerous U.S. and foreign laws and regulations, including those related to anti-corruption, anti-bribery, tax, corporate governance, financial and other disclosures, competition, antitrust, data privacy, data protection and employment. These laws and regulations are complex and may have differing or conflicting legal standards, making compliance difficult and costly, and changes to these laws, or their interpretations, may require us to make significant changes to our business operations that may adversely affect our business overall. The policies and procedures we have implemented to assist our compliance with these laws and regulations do not provide complete assurance that our employees, contractors, agents or partners will not violate such laws and regulations. Any violation individually or in the aggregate could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, reputation and financial condition. For more information about the import and export restrictions and regulations that we may be subject to, see Governmental RegulationsTrade under Item 1 of Part I of our Annual Report.

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