New release includes AI-based schematic tools, real-time reliability checks, and layout automation features.
Zuken has released the 2025 updates for its PCB design tools, CR-8000 Design Gateway and Design Force. The new version includes improvements aimed at supporting design accuracy, streamlining schematic and layout processes, and managing the increasing complexity of high-speed, high-density electronics.
CR-8000 is Zuken’s integrated 3D PCB design and analysis platform, supporting the full electronic product development cycle. Its core tools—System Planner, Design Gateway, Design Force, and DFM Center—enable system architecture planning, schematic and layout design, IC packaging, and design-for-manufacturing analysis, while also offering integrated data management features such as library control, design reuse, and PLM integration.
The engineering front end, CR-8000 Design Gateway, includes updates that support schematic design, such as auto-generation of connectors and standard circuits. Engineers can use predefined blocks—like filters and ESD protection—based on signal-aware rules. The tool also includes rule-based checks and validation features to evaluate component lifespan, thermal limits, and voltage conditions during early design stages.
On the physical layout side, CR-8000 Design Force introduces delay-aware routing and AI-assisted features that streamline tasks like bus completion and decoupling capacitor placement, ensuring timing compliance and reducing manual effort. Collectively, these enhancements accelerate development cycles, improve design consistency, and support first-pass success in advanced PCB designs.
Accelerating schematic design with intelligent auto-generation of connectors and standard circuits
In the engineering front end Design Gateway, CR-8000 2025 introduces enhancements in Automated Circuit Generation, advancing early-stage design automation. Engineers can now auto-generate connectors for unconnected pins and deploy standardized circuit blocks—such as RC filters, pull-up/down networks, or ESD protection—based on signal and part attributes. Leveraging a configurable rule engine and machine-learning-style recommendations, this feature reduces manual schematic creation, ensures design consistency, and accelerates schematic development. Additionally, intuitive simulation feedback directly within the design context enables immediate validation of voltage levels, net integrity, and rule compliance, allowing engineers to catch issues early and refine designs on the fly.
Automated reliability checks with a rule-based verification engine
Circuit Adviser, the intelligent rule-based verification engine within CR-8000 Design Gateway, has been enhanced in the 2025 release to support advanced reliability analysis. It now offers automated checks for early detection of design risks, including detailed thermal and electrical validation. Key enhancements include component lifespan verification against the expected product lifecycle, thermal checks to automatically identify components operating near or beyond safe limits, and an improved Power IC analysis that evaluates voltage margins and power dissipation. These capabilities enable engineers to proactively uncover potential failure points early in the design process, reducing field issues and minimizing costly late-stage redesigns.
Delay-aware routing and intelligent, AI-enhanced automation
CR-8000 Design Force enhances high-speed PCB layout with delay-aware routing tools such as real-time routing balloons, skew visualization, and topology-driven guidance. These help engineers meet timing constraints for interfaces like DDR4 and PCIe with precision, reducing guesswork and eliminating the need for repeated verification cycles. Complementing this, intelligent AI-enhanced automation accelerates layout by automating decoupling capacitor placement, completing bus routes, and generating standard connection circuits. These tools support the designer without replacing them—improving efficiency, reducing rework, and enabling a modular path toward increasingly autonomous design.
Together, these capabilities improve first-pass success rates and significantly reduce overall design cycle time.
For more information, visit zuken.com.
