The State of the Use of AI in Board-Level Hardware Design
Welcome to the first in a series of articles on the use of AI (Artificial Intelligence) in PCB-level design and hardware product development. I am planning to write several articles about my experience using AI tools to help develop a simple Analog device. I have been developing embedded processor design with analog front ends for more than 20 years. After studying an analog design, I will look into the feasibility of creating a hybrid design with a simple microcontroller and other digital circuits, along with an analog front end.
My plan is to use the AI tools I have found available in my search for the state of the art of the use of AI in this setting. I will use tools that are relatively widely available and commonly used in a startup or small-business environment. At this time, some of the more advanced tools available come with a very high seat-per-user cost, making them practical only for military or very large company environments. At present, these tools support design engineers using plain AI and Agentic tools. They are intended to offload a lot of the more tedious tasks faced by engineers and support personnel in product development.
I will cover articles on the following practical steps for product development:
- Refinement of System and Board Level specs
- Automated Schematic Drawing
- Automated Circuit Simulation tools
- Automated Parts Selection (most approaches are connected to a single supplier. Add-ons are provided to enable comparison across many suppliers. )
- Automated Component Placement
- Enhanced Automated Routing
- Enhanced Design Rule Checking
- Adaptive test sequencing operations (from earlier test versions created by Engineers)
- Improve the interface with engineering and production (find very weak spots and generate methods for process improvement)
- Supply chain integration (just starting)