AI is starting to out-design chip engineers in narrow areas as LLMs accelerate software chip design tool development — "There is still a lot of human guidance" says Berkley researcher

For decades, semiconductor design has been driven by humans coming up with bright ideas that unlock new innovations. But the benefits of better chip design have been reaped, including the rise of AI, which now means there could be another party involved in making chip designs smarter: AI itself.‘Chip designer’ isn’t one of the roles on the chopping block as AI automation upends the job market. But in the narrow pockets of the design flow where problems are structured, and evaluators are robust, it is starting to be adopted — with benefits.