AI has helped design over 100 chips, should we be worried?

The large image: Synthetic intelligence-powered chat and data platforms like ChatGPT, Google Bard and Microsoft’s new Bing with AI help are getting the lion’s share of consideration as of late however this isn’t the one area by which synthetic intelligence is making nice strides.

Digital design automation agency Synopsys lately revealed that purchasers working with its Synopsys DSO.ai (Design Area Optimization AI) have created 100 business tape-outs throughout a variety of fields and nodes.

One consumer, STMicroelectronics, achieved the first-ever business design tape-out utilizing AI on the cloud (on this case, Microsoft Azure). Based on Philippe d’Audigier, the SoC {hardware} design director at STMicroelectronics, the system elevated their energy, efficiency and space (PPA) exploration productiveness by greater than 3x.

Junhyun Chun, head of SoC at SK Hynix, said Synopsys’ design system delivered a 15 % cell space discount and a 5 % die shrink in a latest venture. “Synopsys DSO.ai brings an enormous quantity of design crew effectivity, giving our engineers extra time to create differentiated options for our subsequent era of merchandise,” Chun added.

Based on Synopsys, purchasers on common are seeing greater than 3x productiveness will increase, as much as 25 % decrease complete energy utilization and important reductions in die measurement, all whereas utilizing fewer sources. Having Synopsys DSO.ai on the crew additionally automates many menial duties, liberating up human workers to deal with different duties.

Jean Boufarhat, company VP of engineering for the Azure {hardware} and infrastructure groups at Microsoft, stated they’re dedicated to democratizing superior chip design so it was a pure transfer to host the Synopsys DSO.ai design system on Azure.

Entertaining AI that creates amusing images or (makes an attempt to) answers questions based mostly on queries is one factor, however having synthetic intelligence design {hardware} is an entire totally different can of worms. What occurs if one thing designed by an AI system malfunctions and accidents or kills somebody? Who do you level the finger at?

Worse but, what occurs if AI begins designing covert backdoors or really turns into sentient? It makes for nice science fiction materials however we’re quickly approaching a degree the place it might grow to be actuality and that could be a bit alarming.