Enhancing Electronic Design Automation Tools with an ML-Based Information Retrieval System

Abstract

Over the past fifty years, Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools have played a crucial role in the semiconductor industry, assisting in the design, simulation, and manufacturing of integrated circuits (ICs). However, the sophisticated nature of these tools often demands extensive expertise, which can be a barrier for many users. Mastery of these tools necessitates specialized knowledge and skills, including comprehension of complex algorithms, design methodologies, and tool-specific workflows. To address this challenge, this paper introduces a machine learning (ML) based information retrieval system designed to enhance the usability of EDA tools. The objective of this system is to simplify user interactions and make EDA tools more accessible to designers, regardless of their expertise level. The main idea of this ML-driven system is to provide a chatbot-like interface that facilitates efficient, context-aware searches and offers interactive, step-by-step guidance on using various tool functionalities. By integrating natural language processing and machine learning techniques, the system can understand user queries, extract relevant information from the tool's documentation, and provide context-specific guidance. This approach helps to mitigate the steep learning curve associated with advanced EDA applications and enhances tool accessibility. Consequently, it promotes a more intuitive interaction with sophisticated EDA software, thus fostering enhanced usability of complex tools in the semiconductor industry. This work exemplifies the transformative potential of integrating machine learning with conversational user interfaces in making sophisticated software applications more user-friendly.