Sergiy Nesterenko: Automating Circuit Board Design

Sergiy Nesterenko: Automating Circuit Board Design

Author: Daniel Bashir June 20, 2024 Duration: 1:03:35

Episode 128

I spoke with Sergiy Nesterenko about:

* Developing an automated system for designing PCBs

* Difficulties in human and automated PCB design

* Building a startup at the intersection of different areas of expertise

By the way — I hit 40 ratings on Apple Podcasts (and am at 66 on Spotify). It’d mean a lot (really, a lot) if you’d consider leaving a rating or a review. I read everything, and it’s very heartening and helpful to hear what you think.

Enjoy, and let me know what you think!

Sergiy is founder and CEO of Quilter. Sergiy spent 5 years at SpaceX developing radiation-hardened avionics for SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy's second stage rockets, before discovering a big problem: designing printed circuit boards for all the electronics in these rockets was tedious, manual and error prone. So in 2019, he founded Quilter to build the next generation of AI-powered tooling for electrical engineers.

I spend a lot of time on this podcast—if you like my work, you can support me on Patreon :)

Reach me at editor@thegradient.pub for feedback, ideas, guest suggestions.

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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

Links:

* Quilter homepage

* Other pages/features mentioned:

* Thin-to-thick traces

* Octilinear trace routing

* Comment from Tom Fleet



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Hosted by Daniel Bashir, The Gradient: Perspectives on AI moves beyond surface-level headlines to explore the intricate machinery and human ideas shaping artificial intelligence. Each episode is built on a foundation of deep research, leading to conversations that are both technically substantive and broadly accessible. You'll hear from researchers, engineers, and philosophers who are actively building and critiquing our technological future, discussing not just how AI systems work, but the larger implications of their integration into society. This isn't about speculative hype; it's a grounded examination of real progress, persistent challenges, and ethical considerations from those on the front lines. The discussions peel back layers on topics like model architecture, policy, and the fundamental science behind the algorithms becoming part of our daily lives. For anyone curious about the substance behind the buzz-whether you have a technical background or are simply keen to understand a defining technology of our age-this podcast offers a crucial and thoughtful resource. Tune in for a consistently detailed and nuanced take that treats artificial intelligence with the complexity it deserves.
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