Cadence is a world leader in electronic design software and services.
As the complexity of chip design increases, the complexity of verification increases exponentially. Cadence has a proven business strategy, a strong balance sheet and an excellent track record in acquiring and integrating companies. We believe our shareholders will recognize the value of this combination, which yields both short-term benefits and tremendous potential upside in the long term. We look forward to leveraging Cadence's strong international sales channels to make our technology available to a larger customer base. Terms of the Merger Agreement Cadence said the merger would be accounted for as a pooling of interests and that it expects the transaction to be accretive to earnings in 1999.