Cognichip, which launched its Artificial Chip Intelligence (ACI) models in September, described in an interview how the system combines specialized AI models, agentic workflows and project memory to automate chip design tasks. Chief Product Officer Stelios Diamantidis said the company has surpassed ten million training samples, many generated via proprietary synthetic data techniques, and built new model architectures and training pipelines to use them. ACI Enterprise, the deployable platform, is designed to analyze specifications, generate and verify RTL, and optimize designs toward power, performance and area targets.
tomshardware.com
· 2026-11-11
Google introduced two specialized chips designed for AI workloads, broadening its lineup of in-house processors that compete with Nvidia's GPUs. The chips target different segments of AI computing demand, according to Google's announcement.
tech.slashdot.org
· 2026-11-09
At TechCrunch Disrupt, Ricursive Intelligence founders Anna Goldie and Azalia Mirhoseini described their startup's approach to using AI systems that design computer chips, learn from each design iteration, and improve future designs. The pair, who previously built Google's AlphaChip system that produced unconventional layouts like a 'donut-shaped' circuit arrangement, said their goal is to automate and speed up chip design to make chips more efficient.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-10-15
Microsoft has disclosed details of its Maia 300 AI chip, a custom processor designed for data center workloads. The chip is part of Microsoft's ongoing effort to develop in-house silicon for AI computing tasks.
hardware.slashdot.org
· 2026-10-13
OpenAI and Synopsys have entered a multi-year partnership to develop GPT-Synopsys, a specialized AI model aimed at automating and enhancing semiconductor design using Synopsys's EDA software. The initiative involves licensing Synopsys's tools for development on OpenAI's infrastructure, with plans for a joint product release and revenue sharing, though no timeline or pricing details have been announced.
tomshardware.com
· 2026-10-06
Amazon and Synopsys announced a multi-year agreement worth more than a billion dollars to deepen collaboration on AI chip design. Amazon will license Synopsys' IP and expand use of its electronic design automation software, while Synopsys will optimize its tools for Amazon's Trainium and Graviton chips and adopt AWS cloud and Bedrock services for its own development.
tomshardware.com
· 2026-10-02
Synopsys this week unveiled AgentEngineer, a suite of AI agents capable of verifying, implementing and planning chip designs, saying over 50 customers are already testing it ahead of general availability by year-end. Rivals are moving similarly: Cognichip's ACI platform generates specifications and RTL automatically, Empyrean Technology says an AI agent cut a circuit layout task from four weeks to one, and OpenAI says its models helped Broadcom design the Jalapeño inference chip in nine months.
tomshardware.com
· 2026-10-01
OpenAI and Synopsys announced a multi-year strategic partnership to jointly develop GPT-Synopsys, a specialized AI model built to operate Synopsys' electronic design automation tools for semiconductor workflows. The deal includes OpenAI licensing Synopsys' EDA tools, shared R&D, a revenue-sharing arrangement, and joint go-to-market plans to sell the model to customers globally.
news.synopsys.com
· 2026-10-01
Tom's Hardware is hosting a themed editorial event called AI Chip Design Week, running from September 28 to October 2, featuring free premium reporting on AI's role in chip design and electronic design automation (EDA). The coverage includes interviews with OpenAI and other analysis pieces on the state of AI within the chip design industry.
tomshardware.com
· 2026-09-30
Cadence, Synopsys and Siemens EDA each announced upgraded AI agents for chip design in 2026, with Cadence claiming 'bounded Level 5' autonomy for its ChipStack agent and Synopsys claiming L5 capabilities for its AgentEngineer long-horizon agents. Siemens added 'self-verifying' loops to its Fuse EDA agent, while rival Empyrean's chairman said its tool cut a layout task from four weeks to one. Most performance figures come from the vendors themselves or their customers, often with 'up to' or 'early evaluation' qualifiers, and only AMD has publicly endorsed Synopsys's results without independent analysis.
tomshardware.com
· 2026-09-30
OpenAI head of hardware Richard Ho said the company's Jalapeño ASIC went from initial RTL design to tapeout in roughly nine months, with total concept-to-reveal time under two years. Ho said the chip was built from scratch using OpenAI's own internal AI models, including its Codex coding platform, alongside standard EDA tools, and that other engineering teams have been asking how OpenAI achieved the pace.
tomshardware.com
· 2026-09-30
EDA vendors including Cadence, Synopsys, and Siemens EDA, along with simulation software maker Ansys, began rolling out AI-enhanced design tools in the early 2020s using machine learning and reinforcement learning to optimize floorplans, placement, routing, and verification. Architect Labs recently said it produced a chip design developed almost entirely by AI, which the report calls an industry first, while generative AI increasingly assists engineers writing RTL code and emerging agentic systems can run EDA tools with less human oversight.
tomshardware.com
· 2026-09-29
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