Master's Thesis — Agentic AI for Electronic Design Automation

Master's Thesis Agentic AI for Electronic Design Automation

We are offering a Master’s thesis project at the intersection of artificial intelligence and electronic design automation (EDA), focusing on the development of an AI-assisted interface for circuit design workflows. The goal is to design and prototype a model-agnostic interface layer that connects modern AI agents to the open-source EDA tool KiCad, enabling structured and interactive design operations such as schematic capture, layout manipulation, and design rule checking. The project emphasizes a “human-in-the-loop” approach, where AI augments the engineer by suggesting, executing, and iterating on design steps.

The interface (e.g. MCP-style server) will expose EDA functionalities as structured actions, and integrate it with one or more AI systems to enable natural-language-driven design workflows. As part of the project, it is expected that the candidate also uses the developed AI-assisted framework to design a circuit, either proposed by the student or in support of an ongoing research project in our lab in the area of hardware for quantum computers involving advanced microwave and cryogenic technologies.

IBM Research Europe – Zurich is a leading research laboratory with a strong track record in both fundamental and applied research across nanotechnology, quantum and information technologies, and artificial intelligence. As a major contributor to advances in AI, IBM provides access to state-of-the-art AI tools and models, supported by generous computational resources. Combined with a highly multidisciplinary research environment—where diverse projects often require novel electronic circuit developments—this creates a unique setting for students to explore innovative ideas and contribute to cutting-edge research with real-world relevance. The project has a minimum duration of six months and the starting date is flexible.

Please note, this is a non-remunerated M.Sc. thesis project, not a funded position.

Requirements

• Excellent academic record
• Enrolled in electrical engineering, software engineering or computer science with strong background in electronics
• Experience developing and writing software is a plus, especially in Python
• Experience with git and/or GitHub / GitLab is a plus
• Experience with Linux is a plus
• Excellent English communication skills, German and Spanish are a plus
• Strong interest in applied AI