arXiv:2603.08718cs.ARcs.AI2026-03被引 4

用真实代码库构建硬件优化基准,让AI自动改代码提性能

CktEvo: Repository-Level RTL Code Benchmark for Design Evolution

  • 以真实IP核为单位,基于跨文件依赖做可综合的代码演化
  • 零人工干预下实现性能、功耗、面积全面改善,效果可量化
  • 适合关注AI辅助芯片设计自动化与工程落地的研究者

寄存器传输级(RTL)编码是涉及多文件和下游工具链交互的迭代式仓库级过程,其功耗、性能与面积(PPA)特性由整体结构决定。尽管大语言模型(LLMs)已用于硬件设计,但多数工作聚焦自然语言提示下的生成或调试,易受歧义和幻觉影响,需专家介入。另一类研究从形式化输入出发,但通常仅优化高层次综合或孤立模块,缺乏对跨文件依赖的建模。本文提出CktEvo,一个面向仓库级RTL演化的基准与参考框架。不同于以往仅含片段的基准,本基准涵盖多个来自真实设计的高质量Verilog仓库,目标是:在保持功能不变的前提下,通过修改实现PPA提升。我们还构建了闭环框架,将LLM提出的修改与工具链反馈结合,支持跨文件迭代修正。实验表明,该框架可在无需人工干预的情况下实现显著的PPA改进。CktEvo为研究实际工程中具有意义的、函数保全且以PPA为导向的LLM辅助RTL优化奠定了严谨可执行的基础。

原文摘要 · Abstract (English)

Register-Transfer Level (RTL) coding is an iterative, repository-scale process in which Power, Performance, and Area (PPA) emerge from interactions across many files and the downstream toolchain. While large language models (LLMs) have recently been applied to hardware design, most efforts focus on generation or debugging from natural-language prompts, where ambiguity and hallucinations necessitate expert review. A separate line of work begins from formal inputs, yet typically optimizes high-level synthesis or isolated modules and remains decoupled from cross-file dependencies. In this work, we present CktEvo, a benchmark and reference framework for repo-level RTL evolution. Unlike prior benchmarks consisting of isolated snippets, our benchmark targets complete IP cores where PPA emerges from cross-file dependencies. Our benchmark packages several high-quality Verilog repositories from real-world designs. We formalize the task as: given an initial repository, produce edits that preserve functional behavior while improving PPA. We also provide a closed-loop framework that couples LLM-proposed edits with toolchain feedback to enable cross-file modifications and iterative repair at repository scale. Our experiments demonstrate that the reference framework realizes PPA improvements without any human interactions. CktEvo establishes a rigorous and executable foundation for studying LLM-assisted RTL optimization that matters for engineering practice: repository-level, function-preserving, and PPA-driven.

硬件设计LLM应用代码优化RTL

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