- Keysight Technologies is integrating agentic AI capabilities into its Advanced Design System (ADS) 2027 electronic design software.
- The goal is to automate specific stages of radio frequency (RF) circuit design—such as setup, variant generation, and simulation—while allowing engineers to use their own language models.
This integration relies on Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers, which facilitate communication between AI agents and the ADS environment. These servers provide access to tools and procedures documented by Keysight for performing specific RF design tasks. Engineers can submit requests in natural language, which the agent translates into software operations. The resulting outputs can then be evaluated using Keysight’s simulation tools.
Workflows Reusable by AI Agents
A key challenge of this approach lies in how electronic circuits are represented. Schematics and graphical layouts used in RF design are not always consistently interpreted by language models. To facilitate their use, ADS 2027 allows graphical designs to be converted into code that AI can process.
The software also enables users to save work sequences as macros. Agents can leverage these procedures to replicate operations previously defined by engineers. These macros can also serve to share design methods among team members. Python script generation complements these automation features.
Engineers can thus delegate repetitive setup and simulation tasks, allowing them to explore a wider range of design scenarios. Simulation is used to verify the results produced by the agents before any potential hardware implementation. This validation step remains essential, as the responses generated by a language model can vary depending on the provided data and instructions.
Open integration with existing models
Keysight states that its MCP servers are compatible with various AI assistants, language models, and third-party tools. Companies can therefore integrate these functions into their existing environments rather than relying on a single assistant.
MCP servers, macro recording, and Python script generation are available in ADS 2027 and the RF Circuit Simulation Professional software.
