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Comment by crote

9 hours ago

> PCB-level EDA is overdue for better design checks, for example.

The software itself is perfectly capable - the problem is in the source data. The industry-standard data format is "datasheet PDF written by intern".

If you want better design checks you need someone to manually read and interpret a whole bunch of nonstandard and confusing datasheets, and enter it into your EDA software. And no, LLMs won't save you here: the tiniest detail is critical, and due to the habit of using one datasheet for a whole family of chips they are often self-contradictory to a casual reader.

Alternatively, get hundreds of competing manufacturers to agree on a single data exchange format, and get them to rewrite their documentation for a few decades worth of parts into that format - for free, with zero additional sales.