I've been thinking about how AI might shape the future of hardware design. Will it eventually be possible to prompt AI to create designs from scratch, or is that still far off? ?
3 Answers
I've had mixed experiences with AI in circuit design too. Some tools offer decent insights into component functions, but many are still lacking in the actual design capabilities. I think we're at a point where AI can handle lower-level stuff but not the nuanced decisions needed for more complex designs.
Actually, AI in hardware design is already being used! It's just that maybe you haven't noticed the advancements yet. For example, there's a tool where I can input parameters and have AI create netlists for simulations. I used it to rebuild a sunrise lamp, adapting it to work with new components. The AI generated a really accurate netlist for me, which helped a ton in testing my design before building it.
We're not there yet with fully automated designs. Right now, we still need a lot of human input, especially for complex projects where trade-offs need to be made between performance, cost, and reliability. Sure, there are some tools out there, but honestly, they're more of a hand-holding crutch than a full solution. I think AI might help with simpler tasks, but for anything advanced, we're not seeing it work independently anytime soon.