Infinite ML: Designing Printed Circuit Boards with AI

Published

May 26, 2024

Written by

Sergiy Nesterenko

Founder and CEO

Read the Full Series

This article is one part of a walkthrough detailing how we recreated an NXP i.MX 8M Mini–based computer using Quilter’s physics-driven layout automation.

Overview: Project Speedrun

Part 1: Preparing the Design

Part 2: Compiling the Design

Part 3: Cleaning Up the Design

Part 4: Testing & Validation

Sergiy talks with Infinite ML host Prateek Joshi about the opportunities and challenges of automating PCB design with AI, what it actually means to design a "good" PCB, and the current innovations and long term opportunities of combining reinforcement learning and physics simulation to design superhuman PCBs with AI.

(00:07) What is a PCB and its role in electronic devices
(01:30) Examples of PCBs in everyday life
(04:47) Manual components of the PCB design process
(06:26) Introduction to Quilter and its automation of PCB layout
(07:46) What can be automated in PCB layout design
(08:44) Challenges in PCB layout design
(10:12) The role of AI in automating PCB layout design
(12:25) Criteria for PCB design and material selection
(14:38) Thermal management in PCB design
(15:05) Ensuring signal integrity in PCB design
(19:44) The use of AI in PCB design
(20:08) The future of AI in PCB design
(22:07) The importance of material selection in PCB design
(23:32) The importance of thermal management in PCB design
(24:11) Ensuring signal integrity in densely packed PCBs
(26:59) The potential impact of AI on the PCB design process
(28:47) The importance of aesthetics in PCB design
(29:14) The potential obsolescence of human designers in PCB design
(30:26) Exciting innovations in PCB design
(34:42) The need for systematic access to PCB design information
(36:30) Rapid Fire Round

Try Quilter for Yourself

Project Speedrun demonstrated what autonomous layout looks like in practice and the time compression Quilter enables. Now, see it on your own hardware.

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Validating the Design

With cleanup complete, the final question is whether the hardware works. Power-on is where most electrical mistakes reveal themselves, and it’s the moment engineers are both nervous and excited about.

Continue to Part 4

Cleaning Up the Design

Autonomous layout produces a complete, DRC'd design; cleanup is a brief precision pass to finalize it for fabrication.

Continue to Part 3

Compiling the Design

Once the design is prepared, the next step is handing it off to Quilter. In traditional workflows, this is where an engineer meets with a layout specialist to clarify intent. Quilter replaces that meeting with circuit comprehension: you upload the project, review how constraints are interpreted, and submit the job.

Continue to Part 2