SnapEDA launches AI design partner

Leading global electronics design search engine, SnapEDA has launched SnapMagic Copilot, an artificial intelligence (AI) design partner that the firm’s CEO says “will change how every engineer designs electronics.

“AI is advancing incredibly quickly. We’ve seen copilot technologies provide enormous leverage to software engineers, and it’s time to bring that to hardware engineering. That’s what we’re doing with SnapMagic Copilot,” said company CEO and electrical engineer Natasha Baker. As part of this launch, SnapEDA has rebranded its name to SnapMagic and has raised a new round of funding from world-leading AI and developer tool investors.

Source: SnapMagic

SnapMagic Copilot pairs state-of-the-art artificial intelligence with its massive proprietary dataset to automate some of the most time-consuming aspects of electronics design. That includes:

• Auto-completion of common circuits: For example, engineers can add a microcontroller to a circuit and SnapMagic will also place the recommended decoupling capacitors.
• Creation of common designs: Using natural language, engineers can instruct their pcb tool. For example, they can ask for a ‘non-inverting amplifier with a gain of 2’, and SnapMagic creates those circuits with orderable parts based on fundamental circuit theory principles.
• Reference design auto-placement: SnapMagic Copilot will suggest a manufacturer-recommend reference design upon placement of a relevant integrated circuit.
• Optimization for cost and power: SnapMagic Copilot can optimize a bill of materials based on chosen parameters like cost or power consumption.
• Component replacements: If a part is detected to be in low inventory, SnapMagic Copilot recommends alternate parts using its proprietary component recommendation engine.

Unique in the market, SnapMagic’s proprietary dataset is critical for automating electronics design and has been honed through years of collaboration with top OEMs and component suppliers, according to Baker. Further, SnapMagic integrates — rather than replaces — existing pcb design tools.

“Every engineer can benefit from its productivity-boosting features, instantly,” Baker enthused.

In recent years, designers have been under pressure due to component shortages and a trend towards more, but smaller, design teams. Baker sees AI as a game-changer, amplifying these engineers’ capabilities. Early SnapMagic Copilot users report quicker design times and improved quality.

With more than 1.5 million engineers relying on its product, and a CAGR of 61%, SnapMagic seeks to unite the world’s electronics designers, distributors, and component suppliers in one place. Popular distributors on its platform include Digi-Key and Mouser, and popular suppliers include Texas Instruments, Analog Devices, Samtec, and TE Connectivity.