Synopsys
announced a new generative AI-powered tool to accelerate chip design on Wednesday.
Applying generative artificial intelligence techniques to the hugely complex task of designing new semiconductors has always seemed logical. When the company reported financial results in August, founder and outgoing CEO Aart de Geus said Synopsys (ticker: SNPS) was investing heavily in R&D to “capitalize on the AI-driven ‘Smart Everything’ era.”
That push has come to fruition in the form of Synopsys.ai Copilot, the company’s new AI-powered electronic design automation software. The company said the new software results from a “strategic collaboration” with
Microsoft
(MSFT), to leverage large language models from OpenAI running on the Microsoft Azure cloud computing platform.
The new tool brings one of the most compelling aspects of generative AI—the ability to make natural language requests and queries even for highly technical tasks—to one of the most difficult technical challenges—engineering cutting-edge chips.
“The semiconductor industry is racing to develop faster, more efficient, and optimized computing, which is also driving complexity,” Shankar Krishnamoorthy, general manager of the Synopsys EDA Group, said in a statement. “At the same time, we’re facing a projected 15% to 30% workforce gap for chip design engineers by 2030.” He says those issues are addressed, at least in part, with AI-driven design software.
Synopsys says the new tool will learn new skills over time, in turn “making it easier for chip makers to boost productivity and achieve design targets across all stages of chip design from system architecture exploration to design and manufacturing.”
Synopsys.ai Copilot is available now for early access customers, the company said.
Write to Eric J. Savitz at eric.savitz@barrons.com
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