Automating PCB Routing Isn't About Saving Time, It's About Token Economics
MarvinTBaumann · x · 2026-08-03
The thread discusses the practical value of AI in electrical engineering and PCB design. A senior EE engineer points out that traditional EDA tools consume most time in reading datasheets and tweaking architecture rather than drafting, suggesting LLMs are better suited as embedded Copilots in existing workflows.
However, another developer (@seveibar) offers a counter-intuitive take: soon, no one will open an editor for electronics manually. The core driver for automating PCB routing isn't just saving time, but solving poor "token economics"—manual intervention is too token-intensive and inefficient for LLM interaction, necessitating full automation.
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