By Patrick Davis and Amlendu Shekhar Choubey, Product Management Directors, PCB, Cadence
When the first PCB West attendee asked me how we were using AI for PCB design, I knew I was going to spend the day talking about how Cadence generative AI technology transforms your PCB layout. We talked about how you can get transformative time savings by automating PCB P&R to reduce physical layout and analysis challenges that previously took days to hours or minutes. The excitement was evident as we had small crowds around the PCB West demos throughout the day. As one attendee said, “I can’t wait to try this technology!”
Launched in April 2023, we showcased in our booth the new Allegro X AI technology, a next-generation system design technology that offers revolutionary improvements in performance and automation, along with updates on the Allegro X Design Platform. The new AI offering is built on and accessed through the Allegro X and OrCAD X design platforms.
The Allegro X Design Platform demo highlighted the latest updates for cutting-edge PCB design and schematic capture. As you might remember, Allegro X is the industry’s first system design platform integrating logic/physical design, system simulation and analysis, and design data management to help novice and expert electrical engineers minimize iterations and concurrently collaborate between system, mechanical, package, and PCB designers. It is now powered by high-performance engines that significantly reducing turnaround time. We shared a variety of updates since its introduction including collaborative design capabilities, 3D board views in moments, managing high-voltage constraints, automated power delivery to dramatically reduce project time, and more.
In a presentation and demo, we shared how Allegro X AI technology automates component placement, power plane creation, and routing critical nets. It enables electrical engineers to explore the solution space for a higher quality of results and to hand over a better starting layout to PCB designers, while significantly enhancing the productivity of the PCB designers.
Look for us at our next events, CadenceLIVE Europe in mid-October and a November workshop and demonstration at PCB Carolina in the U.S.
Additional Resources
AI PCB Design: How Generative AI Takes Us from Constraints to Possibilities