(Image credit: FreeImages)
AI is on track to revolutionize electronic design, providing engineers with tools to streamline workflows, increase accuracy and optimize designs. AI-based platforms are enhancing everything from circuit design and PCB layouts to debugging and system modeling. These next-gen tools not only help to reduce design time but also improve decision-making by utilizing big data and machine learning. In this roundup, we will take a look at some of the latest AI-based tools and how they enhance the electronic design process.
Siemens Solido Design Environment
The Solido Design Environment helps to optimize workflows to improve designs and performance. (Image credit: Siemens via YouTube)
Siemens Solido Design Environment is an AI-driven, cloud-ready IC design and verification platform that’s utilized for SPICE-level design and verification of analog, mixed-signal, and custom ICs. The platform offers a unified platform for SPICE-level circuit simulation setup, measurements, regressions, and analysis of waveforms and statistical results.
According to Siemens, the Solido Design Environment allows users to identify optimization paths to improve circuit power, performance, and area, as well as to perform production-accurate statistical yield analysis that’s significantly faster than brute-force methods.
Features include an intuitive GUI for interactive design and analysis, leverages AI for simulation and analysis (SPICE, Fast SPICE, and mixed-signal simulators), and is designed to handle variations caused by process, voltage, and temperature (PVT) parameters. The Solido Design Environment also takes advantage of cloud deployment, enabling large-scale statistical simulations, and supports distributed computing for increased performance, among a host of other features.
SnapMagic Copilot
Copilot is designed to automate and enhance IC design and is compatible with popular design tools, supporting over 20 formats. (Image credit: SnapMagic)
SnapMagic’s Copilot is an AI-driven assistant that’s designed to enhance and automate various aspects of IC design. The platform is also designed to integrate into existing PCB design tools, with support for over 20 formats, allowing users to inject AI capabilities without needing to alter project workflows.
The platform comes with a wealth of features for PCB projects, including Circuit Auto-Completion, which automatically suggests component placement when ICs are added to the design. It also offers a Natural Language Interface that allows users to describe circuit design using everyday language. Copilot also provides reference design recommendations for specific integrated ICs and generates BOMs based on design parameters and component availability alerts if the supply is low.
Cadence JedAI LLM
The JedAI platform enhances design processes using AI and big data analytics. (Image credit: Cadence Design Systems)
Cadence Design Systems’ Joint Enterprise Data and AI (JedAI) Solution is another great AI tool that’s designed to enhance semiconductor and system design processes via AI and big data analytics. The solution acts as a centralized hub that integrates and analyzes the extensive data generated during the design and verification process. This allows users to gain insight for better decision-making, which helps optimize workflows.
Beyond the AI-driven analytics, the JedAI solution allows users to integrate workflows with other Cadence design tools, including Cerebrus for chip implementation and Verisium for AI-based design verification. It also offers resource optimization by analyzing workflow data and visualization capabilities that allow users to explore data trends and more.
OpenAI GPT-4o
GPT-4o can assist engineers with everything from component selection to generating schematics. (Image credit: Pexels)
While OpenAI released GPT-4o as a multimodal generative pre-trained transformer to process and generate text, images and audio, it can also be utilized for electronic design. The platform can assist engineers with various tasks and can be integrated into several EDA (Electronic Design Automation) tools and workflows.
GPT-4o can provide assistance with component selection based on specifications and circuit design. Users can provide design goals, which the platform can utilize to generate schematics, SPICE models and IC explanations. It can also optimize PCB layouts, offer more efficient routing strategies and ensure signal integrity by analyzing trace widths, power distribution and more.
GPT-4o can act as a debugging and troubleshooting platform and provide steps and solutions to help root out problems and other issues. What’s more, the platform can generate Python and MATLAB scripts to automate simulations and testing.
National Instruments Multisim
Multisim lets engineers test analog and digital designs within a virtual environment. (Image credit: National Instruments)
National Instruments Multisim allows engineers to test analog and digital circuit designs in a virtual environment. The platform is one of the only few solutions that employ the original Berkeley SPICE-based software simulation and allows users to run simulations on their IC designs in real time.
Multisim comes equipped with over 55,000 manufacturer-verified components and offers 20 different ways to analyze circuits, allowing users to compare their simulated results with actual experimental data side by side. The platform isn’t strictly an engineering tool; it comes equipped with an intuitive interface that lets educators reinforce circuit theory and retain that information throughout the curriculum.
Leo AI
Leo AI can generate conceptual CAD models and documentation using text-based descriptions. (Image credit: Leo Ideation)
Leo AI is an AI-based engineering design tool that allows users to generate conceptual designs and visual representations from text-based descriptions. For example, by inputting a description of a product or component, the platform will generate a photo-realistic conceptual image and its technical documentation within seconds.
Leo AI prioritizes DFMA optimization, generating designs that are easy to manufacture and assemble, significantly reducing the need for redesigns. With its rapid prototyping capabilities, Leo accelerates the transition from concept to detailed CAD model, while its cloud-based functionality promotes collaboration and accessibility from any device.
Heuristica AI Tool
Heuristica can be utilized to visualize circuit schematics, architectures and signal flows. Image credit: Heuristica)
Heuristica is described as an AI tool designed to streamline and enhance the learning and research experience via concept mapping. It provides users with the ability to create and manage intricate knowledge maps, which provide visual representations of complex ideas and information. The platform can be integrated with other knowledge platforms, such as arXiv, Semantic Scholar, PubMed, Wikipedia, YouTube, News, and Podcasts, boosting its productivity capabilities.
Heuristica allows engineers to visualize circuit schematics, system architectures and signal flow before the CAD design process. The platform provides an overview of component interactions, dependencies, and potential design constraints. It also allows engineers to generate notes, summaries, and reports from document design requirements and specifications. It also serves as a collaborative platform, allowing teams to create interactive concept maps to discuss project workflows, troubleshoot design issues, and explore different design options.
Codium Windsurf
The Windsurf AI-driven IDE can automate coding tasks, provide code suggestions, perform debugging and more. (Image credit: Codium)
Codium’s Windsurf is an AI-powered IDE (Integrated Development Environment) that augments coding by integrating AI capabilities within workflows. The platform automates coding tasks, provides code suggestions, integrates debugging tools, code refactoring and more. It also comes packed with the company’s Cascade tool, which collaborates with developers by utilizing the context of codebases and provides relevant suggestions and assistance with code completion.
Windsurf supports multi-file edits via context awareness, tool integration, and iterative problem-solving, providing efficient handling of complex codebases. It also allows users to see live previews of applications within the IDE, providing real-time feedback and code adjustments without context switching.
Mathworks Simulink
Simulink is designed for system modeling, simulation and circuit analysis to help streamline workflows and increase efficiency. (Image credit: Mathworks via Wikipedia)
Mathlabs’ Simulink is a MATLAB-based graphical programming environment for modeling, simulating and analyzing dynamic systems, making it ideal for control systems, signal processing, and embedded system design. The platform can also automatically generate C/C++ code for real-time implementation of systems, which helps streamline workflows and increase efficiency.
Simulink features a block diagram environment with drag-and-drop coding features for system modeling, a control system design tool for testing controllers, a signal processor and more. The platform also integrates with MATLAB for advanced analysis, along with Mathlab’s other tool sets for increased functionality, including Simulink Real-Time (for simulation and testing) and Simulink Verification and Validation (for model validation).
Mathworks MATLAB
MATLAB can handle everything from data analysis and algorithm deployment to simulation and GUI development. (Image credit: Mathworks)
Mathworks’ MATLAB is a high-end programming language and interactive environment that’s designed for data analysis, algorithm development, modeling, and simulations. Engineers can take advantage of the platform for data analysis and visualization, signal processing, system modeling, application development and more.
MATLAB can also be integrated into other applications to increase its functionality, including Simulink, C++, Java and more, making it ideal for circuit and structural analysis, CAD modeling, fluid dynamics, code generation and other engineering-based applications. The platform can also be used for GUI development, parallel computing, vector and matrix operation. It also supports a wide range of hardware, including Raspberry Pi, Arduino, FPGAs, GPUs and other hardware, making it an ideal tool for every engineering field.
These are just a few of the AI-based tools that enhance the electronic design process. They are helping to reshape the way electronic design is approached, providing smarter solutions for circuit design, modeling and simulations. From Siemens Solido Design Environment optimizing IC performance to GPT-4o, which assists with schematics and troubleshooting, each tool plays a role in advancing modern electronic design. AS AI tech continues to evolve, engineers will gain more powerful tools that will help facilitate innovative designs to stay ahead of the curve in competitive industries.
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