Synopsys design software uses AI to make chips more power efficient

Synopsys Inc said on Monday one of its customers used artificial intelligence software to get a 26% gain in the power efficiency of a computer chip, a leap that usually has to wait for a new generation of chip manufacturing technology.

Modern computing chips are made of billions of transistors and wires laid down on a piece of silicon the size of a fingernail. Precisely how all the elements are placed on the chip, along with other design and architecture choices, has a major impact on how well they perform and how much they cost to make.