China Develops World's First AI-Based Automated Processor Chip Design System

Chinese Academy of Sciences Institutes Announce
"Rapid Design of Customized Chips Now Possible"

According to a report by China’s state-run Global Times on June 10 (local time), a Chinese research team has developed the world's first automated processor chip design system based on artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

The Institute of Computing Technology and the Institute of Software, both under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), have unveiled a system called "QiMeng" for fully automated hardware and software design of processor chips, through the preprint repository arXiv.

The processor chip design process is highly complex and precise, requiring specialized expertise. The researchers explained that while conventional processor chip design by experts has taken several months to years, the QiMeng system has demonstrated the feasibility of fully automated design using AI, including the ability to correct errors independently. With the implementation of the QiMeng system, it is expected that rapid design of specific customized chips will become possible, thereby meeting the increasingly diverse demand for chips.

The research team specifically claimed that they have implemented an automated design system for processor chips such as central processing units (CPUs) by utilizing large language models (LLMs) and other technologies. China Science and Technology Daily predicted, "The QiMeng system will bring a paradigm shift to processor chip design," adding, "Design efficiency will improve and development cycles will be shortened."