The hope is this algorithm will speed up the chip design process and lead to a new generation of improved architectures, in turn accelerating AI advancement.

But it’s not easy to create an algorithm that can effectively engineer a real-world product, says Hod Lipson, a roboticist at Columbia University, who was not involved in the research.

A new AI-based algorithm does know, however, allowing it to design purpose-specific robots within a matter of seconds. The algorithm was developed by a team of American scientists led by ...