Master’s thesis project at the intersection of artificial intelligence and electronic design automation (EDA)

IBM Research Zurich offers a non-remunerated internship for a Master’s thesis focusing on AI-assisted electronic design automation (EDA) using KiCad.

This internship provides an opportunity to work at the intersection of artificial intelligence and electronic design automation. The primary objective is to develop a model-agnostic interface layer that connects AI agents to the open-source EDA tool KiCad, emphasizing a human-in-the-loop approach where AI augments the engineer's capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Enable structured and interactive design operations such as schematic capture, layout manipulation, and design rule checking
• Expose EDA functionalities as structured actions via an interface (e.g. MCP-style server)
• Integrate the interface with one or more AI systems to enable natural-language-driven design workflows
• Use the developed AI-assisted framework to design a circuit

Requirements

• Excellent academic record
• Enrolled in electrical engineering, software engineering or computer science with strong background in electronics
• Excellent English communication skills

Nice to have

• Experience developing and writing software, especially in Python
• Experience with git and/or GitHub/GitLab
• Experience with Linux
• German and Spanish language skills
• Strong interest in applied AI

What the company offers

• Access to state-of-the-art AI tools and models
• Generous computational resources
• Highly multidisciplinary research environment
• Flexible working arrangements

About the company

IBM Research Zurich is a leading research laboratory with a strong track record in fundamental and applied research across nanotechnology, quantum and information technologies, and artificial intelligence. The company fosters an open, multicultural research environment that values different perspectives and is committed to fostering diversity and inclusion in the workplace. The goal is to help all genders and backgrounds thrive professionally while maintaining a healthy work–life balance.

• Leading research laboratory with a strong track record in fundamental and applied research across nanotechnology, quantum and information technologies, and artificial intelligence
• Open, multicultural research environment that values different perspectives
• Committed to fostering diversity and inclusion in the workplace
• Goal is to help all genders and backgrounds thrive professionally while maintaining a healthy work–life balance