# The Gradient: Automating Circuit Board Design

**URL:** <https://community.quilter.ai/t/the-gradient-automating-circuit-board-design/140>\
**Category:** Updates\
**Created:** [June 24, 2024, 8:19pm UTC](https://community.quilter.ai/t/the-gradient-automating-circuit-board-design/140 "2024-06-24T20:19:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![will](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.quilter.ai/will/32/98_2.png) [@will](https://community.quilter.ai/u/will)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2024, 8:19pm UTC](https://community.quilter.ai/t/the-gradient-automating-circuit-board-design/140/1 "2024-06-24T20:19:57Z")

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Sergiy joins Daniel Bashir on The Gradient, a podcast about AI and technology, to discuss automating PCB design with reinforcement learning, difficulties in PCB design automation, and dealing with skepticism.

Check it out below:

[

The Gradient

Articles, interviews, and news coverage about AI brought to you by a team of AI researchers and builders. Click to read The Gradient, a Substack publication with tens of thousands of subscribers.

 ![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/uploads/quilter1/original/1X/a3f5530d61366579052d8aad490088a3be4f96e3.png)Substackdaniel bashir

 ![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/uploads/quilter1/original/1X/b93d16b6085b5b0ae486afd2d1f8468fa5a235c3.jpeg)
](https://thegradientpub.substack.com/p/69f24130-0b24-4f49-9fb9-c1657bf05fd3)

**Outline** :

- (00:00) Intro
- (00:45) Quilter origins and difficulties in designing PCBs
- (04:12) PCBs and schematic implementations
- (06:40) Iteration cycles and simulations
- (08:35) Octilinear traces and first-principles design for PCBs
- (12:38) The design space of PCBs
- (15:27) Benchmarks for PCB design
- (20:05) RL and PCB design
- (22:48) PCB details, track widths
- (25:09) Board functionality and aesthetics
- (27:53) PCB designers and automation
- (30:24) Quilter as a compiler
- (33:56) Gluing social worlds and bringing together expertise
- (36:00) Process knowledge vs. first-principles thinking
- (42:05) Example boards
- (44:45) Auto-routers for PCBs
- (48:43) Difficulties for scaling to larger boards
- (50:42) Customers and skepticism
- (53:42) On experiencing negative feedback
- (56:42) Maintaining stamina while building Quilter
- (1:00:00) Endgame for Quilter and future directions
- (1:03:24) Outro