huge image: AI-powered chat and information platforms like ChatGPT, Google Bard, and Microsoft’s new AI-powered Bing have gotten essentially the most consideration recently, however that is not the one space the place AI is making strides.
Electronic design automation firm Synopsys just lately revealed that clients utilizing its Synopsys DSO.ai (Design Space Optimization AI) have created 100 industrial tapeouts throughout a variety of domains and nodes.
A buyer of STMicroelectronics achieved the first-ever industrial design tapeout utilizing AI on the cloud (on this case, Microsoft Azure). According to Philippe d’Audigier, director of SoC {hardware} design at STMicroelectronics, the system greater than tripled their energy, efficiency and space (PPA) exploration productiveness.
Junhyun Chun, head of SoC at SK Hynix, stated Synopsys’ design system achieved a 15 p.c discount in cell space and a 5 p.c chip shrink in a current undertaking. “Synopsys DSO.ai has vastly improved the effectivity of the design workforce, giving our engineers extra time to create differentiating options for our next-generation merchandise,” Chun added.
According to Synopsys, clients have seen a mean enhance in productiveness of greater than 3x, a 25% discount in general energy consumption, and a major discount in chip dimension whereas utilizing fewer assets. Using Synopsys DSO.ai in groups can even automate many menial duties, liberating up human staff to deal with different duties.
Jean Boufarhat, vp of enterprise engineering for Microsoft’s Azure {hardware} and infrastructure workforce, stated they’re dedicated to democratizing superior chip design, so internet hosting the Synopsys DSO.ai design system on Azure was a pure transfer.
It’s one factor to have entertaining AI that creates fascinating photos or (makes an attempt to) reply questions based mostly on queries, however fairly one other to have AI-designed {hardware}. What would occur if one thing the AI system was designed to malfunction and trigger individuals to be injured or killed? Who are you pointing the finger at?
Worse, what occurs if AI begins designing covert backdoors or truly turns into sentient? It’s nice sci-fi materials, nevertheless it’s slightly worrying that we’re quickly approaching the purpose the place it’d develop into a actuality.
