Applied Digital Corporation vs Cadence Design Systems Inc — how do they compare? Applied Digital Corporation trades at $30 (market cap $8.90B), while Cadence Design Systems Inc trades at $381.98 (market cap $105.96B). The key difference: Cadence Design Systems Inc is far larger — about 11.9× Applied Digital Corporation's market cap, and Cadence Design Systems Inc is trading nearer its 52-week high, Applied Digital Corporation nearer its low. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| APLD | CDNS | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $8.90B | $105.96B |
Sector | Technology | Technology |
52-Week High | $49.65 | $416.39 |
52-Week Low | $9.18 | $265.66 |
Enterprise Value | $10.00B | $107.64B |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Applied Digital (APLD) trades at $31.15, down 3.53% today, amid bearish technical signals despite unanimous analyst buy ratings. The company shows strong revenue growth with $144M in 2025 and $319M projected for 2026, but remains unprofitable with negative margins. Recent news highlights APLD's pivot to AI data centers with $36B in contracted lease value, though execution risks and customer concentration persist.
Outlook: High growth potential from AI infrastructure expansion contrasts with profitability challenges and heavy capital spending. Risks include customer concentration and debt load, but analyst consensus targets $76.67 suggest significant upside if execution improves.
Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) trades at $384.17, down 0.46% on the day, with strong technical momentum indicated by bullish moving averages. The company demonstrates robust fundamentals with consistent revenue growth from $3.6B in 2022 to $5.3B in 2025, and has beaten earnings estimates for three consecutive quarters. Analyst sentiment remains overwhelmingly positive with 83.87% buy ratings and a $395.88 consensus price target, representing 3% upside potential.
The outlook for CDNS remains favorable given its strategic position in semiconductor design software and AI-driven demand, though elevated valuation ratios (P/E 89.55, P/S 18.99) warrant caution. Key risks include semiconductor cycle volatility and competitive pressures, but strong cash flow generation and institutional support provide stability for long-term investors.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
Applied Digital provides high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure and cloud services. It designs and operates data centers tailored for AI, machine learning, and other intensive digital workloads across North America.
Read more on APLD →Cadence Design Systems is a provider of electronic design automation software, intellectual property, and system design and analysis products. EDA software automates the chip design process, enhancing design accuracy, productivity, and complexity in a full-flow end-to-end solution. Cadence offers a portfolio of design IP, as well as system design and analysis products, which enable system-level analysis and verification solutions. Cadence's comprehensive portfolio is benefiting from a mutual convergence of semiconductor companies moving up-stack toward systems-like companies, and systems companies moving down-stack toward in-house chip design. The resulting expansion in EDA customers, alongside secular digitalization of various end markets, benefits EDA vendors like Cadence.
Read more on CDNS →