Siemens has been clear: "PADS Professional" is the future. The legacy "PADS Standard" (the old Mentor codebase) is in maintenance mode. Expect version in 2025 to focus on:
Released to modernize the installation and database structure, PADS 9.4 updated ASCII formats for Layout and Router while maintaining library compatibility. The Modern VX Era: 2014 – Present mentor graphics pads version history
Following Siemens' $4.5 billion acquisition of Mentor Graphics in 2017, the software was rebranded under . History of PADS - PCB Libraries Forum Siemens has been clear: "PADS Professional" is the future
This is the period most working engineers remember. Mentor Graphics stabilized the codebase, modernized the version numbers, and turned PADS into a tiered product (PADS Standard, PADS Professional, PADS Standard Plus). The Modern VX Era: 2014 – Present Following Siemens' $4
The following are some of the notable releases of PADS during this period:
: Modernized the installation process and updated database/ASCII formats for Layout and Router The VX Release and Siemens Acquisition (2014–Present) What’s new in PADS VX.2.12 - Siemens