Arcadia-1/virtuoso-bridge-lite

What it solves

It automates the tedious manual process of analog and mixed-signal IC design by allowing LLM agents to programmatically control Cadence Virtuoso. It bridges the gap between AI coding agents and professional EDA (Electronic Design Automation) software, enabling automated design flows for schematics, layouts, and simulations.

How it works

The project creates a communication bridge between a Python-based client and Cadence Virtuoso using the SKILL language. It uses a TCP-based SKILL client and an SSH client to maintain persistent connections to design servers. This allows agents to execute inline SKILL code, load .il files, and run Spectre simulations remotely. It also includes a CLI for lifecycle management (starting/stopping tunnels) and diagnostic tools like window screenshots and session snapshots to provide the agent with visual and state feedback.

Who it’s for

It is designed for IC designers and AI researchers who want to use coding agents (such as Claude Code or Cursor) to automate chip design workflows, as well as those operating in distributed design clusters with remote EDA servers.

Highlights

• Deep Virtuoso Integration: Full control over Schematic, Layout, Maestro, and Spectre.
• AI-Native Design: Includes pre-defined skill files for agents and a CLI-first interface to remove the need for a GUI.
• Scalable Architecture: Supports multi-server, multi-session setups with jump-host SSH tunneling.
• Simulation Support: Built-in Spectre simulator runner with a PSF parser for analyzing results.
• Visual Feedback: Ability to capture screenshots of the CIW or specific Virtuoso windows to help agents debug.