Beginner’s Guide to Using AI for Hardware Engineering

Much hype surrounds AI. AI can generate some amazing results from answering complicated questions to generating video that looks convincingly real. Even so, AI has not yet changed the way hardware engineering is accomplished in our day-to-day projects. Many of us are reluctant to use AI, knowing that it has limitations and often produces unreliable results. Furthermore, there are issues of privacy, security, and even legality of using AI for project work. In this session, we explain the basic concepts behind using AI for engineering. We answer questions like “what are its requirements?”, “how do large language models work?”, “how does AI interact with other applications?”, “what makes a good input prompt?”, “how do I get started using AI?”, “what are the uses for AI in engineering?”, and many others. We show how you can tie in an AI model into your engineering workflow or even create an agentic workflow. If you are just getting started using AI, then join us to see how to practically put AI to work in your next project.

Doug Smith is a verification engineer and instructor for Doulos based in the Austin Texas area with expertise in SystemVerilog, UVM, and formal verification. At Doulos, he delivers training in verification methodologies, hardware description languages, and formal technology. Doug holds a masters degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Cincinnati and a bachelors degree in Physics and Biology from Northern Kentucky University. Currently, he resides in Paige Texas with his wife and family on a small farm where he raises bees, horses, chickens, and pigs and loves playing around on his tractor.