# Introducing AI Auto-Layout With just one click, Copilot tackles the repetitive task of routing your board, delivering clean, human-like results that are easy to iterate on Written by [Lance Cassidy](https://www.flux.ai/lwcassid) Published Dec 2024 - 4 min read [![Flux Copilot - The First AI Powered Hardware Design Assistant can now route your PCB. Introducing AI Auto-Layout. With just one click, Copilot tackles the repetitive task of routing your board, delivering clean, human-like results that are easy to work with and iterate on. ](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/blogs/ai-auto-layout-v1/main.webp)](#) ## At Flux, our mission has always been to take the hard out of hardware. From the beginning, we’ve envisioned a future where laying out a PCB—from placing components to routing traces—is as intuitive as sketching an idea. But traditional auto-routers, with their rigid algorithms, fall short—producing layouts that are messy, hard to debug, and frustrating to refine. We knew there had to be a better way. Today, we’re excited to share the preview of **AI Auto-Layout**, powered by Flux Copilot. This is the next step toward full layout automation. With just one click, Copilot tackles the repetitive task of routing your board, delivering clean, human-like results that are easy to work with and iterate on. Whether you're working on a simple or moderately complex design, AI Auto-Layout helps you stay in the flow while saving hours of effort. ### Easy setup One of the biggest challenges with traditional autorouters is the complexity of setup. By the time you’ve configured everything, you might have already routed the board manually. AI Auto-Layout eliminates this frustration by providing a streamlined, fully integrated experience **with smart defaults** that’s easy to use for beginners while remaining powerful and customizable for advanced users. [ ![](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/blogs/ai-auto-layout-v1/setup-image.webp) ](https://www.flux.ai/example-user/esprsso32-smart-scale-ai-auto-layout-example?editor=pcb_2d) To setup your board simply place your components and hit the Auto-Layout button on the canvas For **simple and medium-complexity boards**, the smart defaults handle most configurations for you, so all you need to do is finalize your schematic, place your components, and hit “Auto-Layout.” The smart defaults for trace width and spacing are intelligently applied, allowing you to focus on design, not setup. If you need more control, **advanced customization** is only a few clicks away. Add keep-outs, define custom trace widths, and set advanced constraints to meet specific design requirements. Learn more about how to setup your project by watching this [video tutorial](https://youtu.be/JlNsPRh_x-w) or reading the [documentation](https://docs.flux.ai/tutorials/auto-layout) on AI Auto-Layout. **Iterating with AI Auto-Layout is also seamless**. Feel free to route part of your board with critical, or high speed traces, and then allow AI Auto-Layout to complete the busy work. Whether you’re relying on defaults or customizing advanced constraints, AI Auto-Layout starts routing with just a single click. This combination of simplicity and flexibility makes AI Auto-Layout accessible to anyone, from beginners building their first PCB to professionals designing for production. It’s routing that adapts to your needs, not the other way around. [ ![](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/blogs/ai-auto-layout-v1/auto-layout-solution.webp) ](https://www.flux.ai/flux/esprsso32-smart-scale-ai-auto-layouted?editor=pcb_2d) Click on the project above to check out the AI Auto-layout results yourself ### Human-like results Traditional autorouters often treat routing as a purely mathematical exercise, optimizing only for shortest paths without considering practical realities like manufacturability, signal integrity, and clarity. The result is all too familiar: tangled, robotic layouts that are tough to debug and frustrating to iterate on. Flux’s Auto-Layout takes a completely different approach. By using advanced AI techniques—especially Reinforcement Learning (RL)—it finds routes that feel intuitive and professional. Instead of following rigid, one-size-fits-all rules, RL allows the AI to continuously adjust its decisions. It learns from each choice, honing in on cleaner, more balanced arrangements that reflect real-world design priorities. As Auto-Layout runs, you can watch the layout improve over multiple iterations and accept or cancel at any point. Simple boards might converge on a good solution in a matter of minutes, while more complex projects may require longer—sometimes 10-15 minutes or even several hours. The result is a PCB layout that’s easier to understand, refine, and trust. **Examples of AI Auto-Layout’s Human-like Results:** [ ![](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/blogs/ai-auto-layout-v1/power-rail.webp) ](https://www.flux.ai/flux/esprsso32-smart-scale-ai-auto-layouted?editor=pcb_2d) **Sensitive Power Trace Prioritization:** Auto-Layout identifies critical power traces and prioritizes them for optimal routing, preserving signal integrity and minimizing interference. [ ![](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/blogs/ai-auto-layout-v1/crystal-routing.webp) ](https://www.flux.ai/flux/esprsso32-smart-scale-ai-auto-layouted?editor=pcb_2d) **Crystal Oscillator Signal Routing:** Auto-Layout ensures crystal oscillator signals take the shortest path to the clock input, reducing degradation and interference, while maintaining safe distances from other nets.**‍** Throughout this process, your data remains yours. We employ robust encryption and modern data centers to keep your information secure, just like the trusted cloud services you rely on daily. If you want to learn more, please take a look at our [Privacy Statement](https://docs.flux.ai/legal/privacy-statement). ### Try AI Auto-Layout We’re thrilled to introduce AI Auto-Layout as part of a preview release, with access rolling out gradually. If you’re a new user, you’ll have free Copilot credits included in your 2-week trial, which you can use to explore the feature if you’re granted access. For paid users, AI Auto-Layout uses the Copilot credits already included in your plan. Need more credits? Visit Plans & Payments to keep your projects on track. Your feedback is essential to helping us refine and improve AI Auto-Layout. Join us on this journey to make PCB design smarter, faster, and more intuitive for everyone. ## About the author [Lance Cassidy](https://www.flux.ai/lwcassid) Co-Founder at Flux Lance is Co-Founder & CDO of Flux, a hardware design platform that's revolutionizing how teams create and iterate on circuits. Find him on Flux [@lwcassid](https://www.flux.ai/lwcassid/) Let’s start building Build your big idea together with Flux. All you need to do is describe what you want to make, or what problem you want to solve. Flux will work with you to make it a reality. ![Close-up photo of a PCB made with Flux, with an ESP32 module, buttons, and a microSD slot.](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/blogs/miscellaneous/sidebar-cta-pcb.webp) [Try it Free](https://www.flux.ai/signup) ## More in AI & Prompt Engineering for Hardware [ ![What Makes a Perfect PCB Design Prompt](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/blogs/how-to-write-a-perfect-pcb-design-prompt/main.webp) ### What Makes a Perfect PCB Design Prompt 8 Min Read](https://www.flux.ai/p/blog/what-makes-a-perfect-pcb-design-prompt)[ ![Flux, an AI hardware engineer pointing out the dos and don'ts when prompting.](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/blogs/prompting-guide/main.webp) ### Prompting Guide: Working with Flux from Idea to Schematic 9 Min Read](https://www.flux.ai/p/blog/prompting-guide-working-with-flux-from-idea-to-schematic)[ ![A space-themed image with a central cartoon astronaut helmet against a backdrop of stars and nebulae in shades of purple. 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A ninth bubble says 'Share Review Template,' with a share icon.](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/blogs/ai-design-reviews/main.webp) ### AI Design Reviews 6 Min Read](https://www.flux.ai/p/blog/ai-design-reviews)[ ![5 Pro Tips for Better Routing with AI Auto-Layout](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/blogs/5-tips-for-ai-auto-layout/main.webp) ### 5 Pro Tips for Better Routing with AI Auto-Layout 5 Min Read](https://www.flux.ai/p/blog/5-pro-tips-for-better-routing-with-ai-auto-layout)[ ![Top 20+ Flux Copilot Prompts for Hardware Design](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/blogs/top-copilot-prompts-2/main.webp) ### Top 20+ Flux Copilot Prompts for Hardware Design 9 Min Read](https://www.flux.ai/p/blog/top-20-flux-copilot-prompts-for-hardware-design)[ ![More than 20 amazing Flux Copilot prompts on a starry background](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/blogs/top-copilot-prompts/main.webp) ### 20+ Amazing Flux Copilot Prompts for Hardware Design 5 Min Read](https://www.flux.ai/p/blog/amazing-flux-copilot-prompts)[ ![Top 20+ Flux Copilot Prompts (Refreshed)](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/blogs/top-copilot-prompts-3/main.webp) ### Top 20+ Flux Copilot Prompts (Refreshed) 7 Min Read](https://www.flux.ai/p/blog/top-20-flux-copilot-prompts-refreshed)[ ![a space-themed background with stars and a floating astronaut helmet to the left. Large, bold text reads '6 Prompting Tips to Get the Most Out of Copilot', indicating a focus on maximizing the use of a digital assistant or tool.](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/blogs/copilot-6-prompting-tips/main.webp) ### 6 Prompting Tips to Get the Most Out of Copilot 6 Min Read](https://www.flux.ai/p/blog/6-prompting-tips-to-get-the-most-out-of-copilot)[ ![Graphic showing a red printed circuit board design with a list of common asked questions in Flux, such as overlapping copper and missing footprints. Based on the most common questions we hear from our users, it walks through practical solutions to unblock your designs and give you more confidence as you build.](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/blogs/top-10-troubleshooting-tips-n-tricks/main.webp) ### Top 9 Most Asked Questions in Flux 6 Min Read](https://www.flux.ai/p/blog/top-9-most-asked-questions-in-flux)[ ![A screen that looks like the part of a game where you choose your character. 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The review panel highlights capacitor C56 with a red error indicating a voltage rating of 16V, below the required safe margin. A chat response suggests replacement capacitors with part numbers, demonstrating the AI's capability to recommend fixes for flagged issues.](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/blogs/ai-drc-panel/main.webp) ### Introducing the AI Design Review Tab 4 Min Read](https://www.flux.ai/p/blog/introducing-the-ai-design-review-tab)[ ![Flux Copilot astronaut points at a PCB with the text “Smarter AI Auto‑Layout” overlaid, highlighting the intelligence of Flux’s AI Auto‑Layout feature.](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/blogs/ai-auto-layout-summer-update/main.webp) ### AI Auto-Layout Just Got Smarter 3 Min Read](https://www.flux.ai/p/blog/ai-auto-layout-just-got-smarter)[ ![An astronaut placing electronics components and tracing complex signals on a complex glowing PCB board.](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/blogs/ai-auto-layout-v2/main.webp) ### AI Auto-Layout Winter Update 9 Min Read](https://www.flux.ai/p/blog/ai-auto-layout-winter-update)[ ![Flux Copilot suspended in space, intellegently scanning electronic components datasheets](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/blogs/ditch-datasheets/main.webp) ### Ditch Datasheets with this Flux Copilot Upgrade 2 Min Read](https://www.flux.ai/p/blog/ditch-datasheets-with-this-flux-copilot-upgrade)[ ![Illustration of an astronaut helmet superimposed over a circuit board background, stylized as 'Flux Copilot Vision.' 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A digital overlay on the image presents a test plan for signal integrity checks, listing steps such as confirming a voltage level of 3.3V, checking for a PWM signal at 1 kHz, and ensuring zero voltage (ground). 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Let’s build your idea together. All you need to do is describe what you want to make, or what problem you want to solve. Flux will work with you to make it a reality. [Try it Free](https://www.flux.ai/signup) ![Close-up of a Flux-designed printed circuit board](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/mission-visual.webp)