PCB Design Software Market – Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, Segmented By End User (Electrical Engineers, PCB Designers, Layout Engineers, Others), By Feature Set (Schematic Capture, PCB Layout, Simulation & Analysis, 3D Visualization, Others), By Deployment Model (On-Premises, Cloud-Based, Hybrid Model), By Price (Entry-Level Software, Mid-Range Software, High-End Software), By Industry (Consumer Electronics, Industrial Automation, Aerospace & Defense, Healthcare, Others), By Region and Competition, 2021-2031F

Forecast Period	2027-2031
Market Size (2025)	USD 5.05 Billion
CAGR (2026-2031)	6.72%
Fastest Growing Segment	Aerospace & Defense
Largest Market	North America
Market Size (2031)	USD 7.46 Billion

Market Overview

The Global PCB Design Software Market will grow from USD 5.05 Billion in 2025 to USD 7.46 Billion by 2031 at a 6.72% CAGR. PCB design software comprises specialized Computer Aided Design tools engineered to create schematic diagrams and physical layouts for printed circuit boards while facilitating the precise placement and routing of electronic components. The primary drivers supporting market growth include the escalating complexity of automotive electronics for electric vehicles and autonomous systems alongside the persistent demand for miniaturization in consumer devices and IoT hardware. These factors necessitate robust design environments capable of handling high speed signal integrity and thermal management requirements which effectively sustain demand for advanced platform capabilities separate from broader technological adoption patterns.

One significant challenge impeding rapid market expansion is the substantial cost associated with advanced licensing tiers which often limits access for smaller enterprises and startups. Despite this barrier the sector demonstrates steady financial progress driven by essential industrial needs and continuous technological reliance. According to the ESD Alliance, in 2025, global Printed Circuit Board and MCM software revenue for the first quarter increased 5.5% to $399.8 million. This trajectory indicates that while economic pressures exist the critical nature of electronic design automation continues to sustain investment and development within the global electronics supply chain.

Key Market Drivers

Integration of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for Design Automation is fundamentally reshaping the market by automating complex routing and placement tasks to handle increasing board density. As PCB layouts become increasingly intricate, engineers are leveraging AI-driven tools to optimize component positioning and signal paths, significantly reducing the manual iteration cycles required for high-speed designs. This technological shift is generating substantial commercial traction as enterprises seek to minimize time-to-market through generative design capabilities. According to Cadence Design Systems, October 2024, in the 'Q3 2024 Financial Results', sales for the company's AI portfolio powered by generative AI and optimization tools nearly tripled year-over-year. This surge in adoption underscores how machine learning features are transitioning from optional enhancements to essential requirements for competitive design workflows.

The Rapid Expansion of Electric Vehicle and Autonomous Driving Electronics serves as a secondary catalyst, forcing designers to address unique challenges related to high-voltage power distribution and rigorous thermal management standards. Modern automotive architectures require sophisticated PCBs that can withstand harsh operating environments while supporting advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), thereby increasing the dependency on high-end simulation and layout software. This demand correlates directly with the surging production of electrified transport; according to the International Energy Agency, April 2024, in the 'Global EV Outlook 2024', global electric car sales neared 14 million units in 2023. This industrial volume supports the broader electronic design ecosystem's financial health. According to the ESD Alliance, in 2024, global revenue for Printed Circuit Board and Multi-Chip Module software rose 8.2% to $399.2 million in the second quarter, reflecting the sustained investment in these critical design technologies.

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Key Market Challenges

The substantial cost of advanced licensing tiers creates a distinct barrier that hampers the broader expansion of the PCB design software market. High financial requirements effectively exclude smaller enterprises and startups from accessing the comprehensive design environments needed for complex electronic development. This exclusion results in a market imbalance where essential technical capabilities are restricted to well-capitalized organizations, forcing smaller entities to rely on limited tools that cannot meet strict signal integrity and thermal management standards. Consequently, the industry forfeits a significant portion of its potential user base, as the high cost of ownership stifles the volume of new licenses sold to emerging businesses.

This economic restriction affects the composition of market growth, which relies heavily on established enterprise renewals rather than new market entrants. According to the ESD Alliance, in the second quarter of 2025, revenue for the Printed Circuit Board and Multi-Chip Module category reached $430.5 million. While this figure indicates financial scale, the concentration of revenue from expensive licenses masks the limited penetration into the lower tiers of the electronics supply chain, confirming that pricing structures remain a primary obstacle to widespread adoption.

Key Market Trends

Adoption of Cloud-Based Collaborative Design Platforms is streamlining engineering workflows by dismantling the silos between schematic capture, layout, and manufacturing. This trend addresses the need for distributed teams to access a single source of truth, facilitating real-time version control and reducing data translation errors common in legacy file-based workflows. The rapid uptake of these ecosystems highlights a fundamental change in user behavior, where connectivity is now valued as highly as layout capabilities to ensure project continuity across different locations. According to Altium Limited, February 2024, in the 'Altium First Half 2024 Investor Presentation', the company's cloud platform adoption accelerated significantly, recording over 46,300 monthly active users, a 26% increase compared to the previous six-month period.

Incorporation of Real-Time Supply Chain and Component Intelligence is becoming critical as designers face volatile component availability and obsolescence risks. Modern software now embeds live distributor data directly into the design environment, allowing engineers to validate part selection for cost and availability during the earliest stages of schematic creation rather than at the manufacturing handoff. This capability drastically reduces costly redesigns caused by sourcing issues and improves overall procurement resilience within the development lifecycle. According to Supplyframe, November 2024, in the 'Supplyframe Accelerates Growth, Innovation, Supply Chain Transformation' press release, their direct materials procurement and sourcing solution experienced 250% year-over-year growth, reflecting the industry's aggressive move towards integrating sourcing intelligence into the digital design thread.

Segmental Insights

The Aerospace & Defense sector represents the fastest-growing segment in the Global PCB Design Software Market due to the rising integration of electronics into avionics and military systems. This growth is fueled by the need to develop highly reliable circuit boards that function correctly in harsh environments. Additionally, adherence to safety standards from organizations like the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics requires precise design verification and traceability. Consequently, companies are adopting specialized software to manage these complex workflows and ensure compliance with strict hardware assurance guidelines without compromising operational efficiency.

Regional Insights

North America maintains a dominant position in the global PCB design software market due to the strong presence of established market vendors and a robust semiconductor manufacturing infrastructure. The region experiences sustained demand from the defense, automotive, and telecommunication sectors, necessitating the use of reliable design automation tools. Furthermore, the early adoption of advanced technologies is supported by significant research and development investments. The adherence to rigorous industry standards set by organizations such as the IPC solidifies the regional infrastructure, ensuring consistent software integration and manufacturing quality across the electronic design supply chain.

Recent Developments

• In July 2025, Synopsys announced the finalization of its acquisition of Ansys, a transaction that combined a major electronic design automation company with a leader in engineering simulation. This merger created a comprehensive provider of silicon-to-systems design solutions, integrating multiphysics analysis directly into the electronics design workflow. The combined organization aimed to address the challenges of complex system development by offering engineers unified tools to optimize power, performance, and reliability from the chip level to the complete system. The acquisition was positioned to support the development of advanced intelligent systems across various industries.
• In May 2025, Zuken announced the release of CR-8000 2025, the newest version of its 3D multi-board PCB design platform. This update introduced features driven by artificial intelligence to automate and streamline the design of high-speed and high-density electronic products. The software included advancements in schematic design, such as the intelligent auto-generation of connectors and circuits, alongside delay-aware routing capabilities in the physical layout phase. These enhancements were designed to improve design integrity and shorten development cycles by minimizing manual efforts and ensuring compliance with rigorous timing and reliability requirements.
• In November 2024, Siemens Digital Industries Software introduced updates to its electronic systems design portfolio, including Xpedition, HyperLynx, and PADS Professional, which incorporated artificial intelligence capabilities. The release featured a unified design flow that leveraged cloud connectivity and enhanced multidisciplinary project lifecycle management. Key improvements included AI-assisted functionality within the PCB design tools, which offered predictive guidance to designers to reduce repetitive tasks and optimize routing processes. This development focused on utilizing machine learning and cloud computing to address the growing complexity of developing modern electronic systems.
• In August 2024, Renesas Electronics Corporation announced the successful completion of its acquisition of Altium Limited, a prominent provider of electronics design systems. This strategic transaction, valued at approximately A$9.1 billion, established Altium as a wholly owned subsidiary of the semiconductor supplier. The merger aimed to develop an integrated electronics system design and lifecycle management platform that facilitates collaboration across component, subsystem, and system-level workflows. By combining cloud-based software capabilities with a broad portfolio of embedded solutions, the companies sought to digitalize the electronics design process and improve efficiency for system designers globally.

Key Market Players

• Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
• Siemens AG
• Altium Limited
• Zukei Shori Gijutsu Kenkyusho Inc.
• Labcenter Electronics Ltd.
• Autodesk Inc.
• ANSYS, Inc.
• Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
• Dassault Systèmes S.E.
• National Instruments Corporation

By End User	By Feature Set	By Deployment Model	By Price	By Industry	By Region
Electrical Engineers PCB Designers Layout Engineers Others	Schematic Capture PCB Layout Simulation & Analysis 3D Visualization Others	On-Premises Cloud-Based Hybrid Model	Entry-Level Software Mid-Range Software High-End Software	Consumer Electronics Industrial Automation Aerospace & Defense Healthcare Others	North America Europe Asia Pacific South America Middle East & Africa

Report Scope:

In this report, the Global PCB Design Software Market has been segmented into the following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below:

• PCB Design Software Market, By End User:

• Electrical Engineers
• PCB Designers
• Layout Engineers
• Others

• PCB Design Software Market, By Feature Set:

• Schematic Capture
• PCB Layout
• Simulation & Analysis
• 3D Visualization
• Others

• PCB Design Software Market, By Deployment Model:

• On-Premises
• Cloud-Based
• Hybrid Model

• PCB Design Software Market, By Price:

• Entry-Level Software
• Mid-Range Software
• High-End Software

• PCB Design Software Market, By Industry:

• Consumer Electronics
• Industrial Automation
• Aerospace & Defense
• Healthcare
• Others

• PCB Design Software Market, By Region:

• North America
• United States
• Canada
• Mexico
• Europe
• France
• United Kingdom
• Italy
• Germany
• Spain
• Asia Pacific
• China
• India
• Japan
• Australia
• South Korea
• South America
• Brazil
• Argentina
• Colombia
• Middle East & Africa
• South Africa
• Saudi Arabia
• UAE