Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
When an autorouter hands back 168 rule violations, Altium Develop gives your whole team the visibility to catch them long before they reach the fab: altium.com/develop?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=altium-academy-shorts&utm_content=ai-pcb-design-left-168-rule-violations-on-this-board
AI PCB design promises to take routing off your plate — but what happens when you actually run the design rule check? In this clip from Altium Academy, Zach Peterson pulls up the design rule report on a board routed entirely by an AI tool and finds 168 rule violations: 11 clearance constraint problems at a 6 mil gap, minimum annular ring constraints that aren't satisfied, and two unrouted nets. As Zach notes, that count isn't worse than plenty of human-designed boards he's reviewed — but it's a long way from the hands-off result AI routing is often sold as.
The deeper problem is explainability. Because the AI tool is a black box, there's no way to see why it made the routing decisions it did, which makes it genuinely difficult to give useful feedback and push corrections back through the tool. Zach also points out that most of the violations are the simple kind — silk-to-silk and silk-to-solder-mask clearance errors that would clear up by adjusting the default design rules. That hints at where AI may earn its place in PCB design first: not routing the board, but automatically generating the design rules the layout gets checked against.
▶ Watch the full video: youtube.com/watch?v=qX29OWSYTmI
💡 Watch Next:
• AI PCB Layout vs. Human Design: The Honest Truth: youtube.com/watch?v=qX29OWSYTmI
• AI PCB Autorouting: What's Real and What's Hype: youtube.com/watch?v=YJTbsoxPg7E
• AI PCB Design: Turning a 100-Page Spec Into an MCU Shortlist: youtube.com/watch?v=l-ypLNl8Ub8
• The Truth About AI in PCB EMC Compliance: youtube.com/watch?v=ArdBQAxz3xM
• What's the Future of AI in Electronics Design?: youtube.com/watch?v=YvghL5PGlo4
💡 Stay Connected:
Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more in-depth tutorials and tips from @AltiumAcademy Share your thoughts and questions in the comments below!
👉 Subscribe for more: youtube.com/@AltiumAcademy?sub_confirmation=1
Don't forget to follow us on social to stay up-to-date on the latest Altium Academy content.
👉 Follow Altium on TikTok: tiktok.com/@altiumdesigner
👉 Follow Altium on Twitter: twitter.com/altium
👉 Follow Altium on Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/altium
👉 Follow Altium on Facebook: facebook.com/AltiumOfficial
The Altium Academy is an online experience created to bring modern education to PCB Designers and Engineers all across the world. Here you can access a vast library of free training and educational content covering everything from basic design to advanced principles and step-by-step walkthroughs. Join industry legends as they share their career knowledge, review real-life design projects, or learn how to leverage one of Altium's leading design tools. No matter your level of experience, the Altium Academy can help you become a better Designer and Engineer!
About Altium LLC
Altium LLC (ASX:ALU), a global software company based in San Diego, California, is accelerating the pace of innovation through electronics. From individual inventors to multinational corporations, more PCB designers and engineers choose Altium software to design and realize electronics-based products.
#altium #pcbdesign #ai
When an autorouter hands back 168 rule violations, Altium Develop gives your whole team the visibility to catch them long before they reach the fab: altium.com/develop?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=altium-academy-shorts&utm_content=ai-pcb-design-left-168-rule-violations-on-this-board
AI PCB design promises to take routing off your plate — but what happens when you actually run the design rule check? In this clip from Altium Academy, Zach Peterson pulls up the design rule report on a board routed entirely by an AI tool and finds 168 rule violations: 11 clearance constraint problems at a 6 mil gap, minimum annular ring constraints that aren't satisfied, and two unrouted nets. As Zach notes, that count isn't worse than plenty of human-designed boards he's reviewed — but it's a long way from the hands-off result AI routing is often sold as.
The deeper problem is explainability. Because the AI tool is a black box, there's no way to see why it made the routing decisions it did, which makes it genuinely difficult to give useful feedback and push corrections back through the tool. Zach also points out that most of the violations are the simple kind — silk-to-silk and silk-to-solder-mask clearance errors that would clear up by adjusting the default design rules. That hints at where AI may earn its place in PCB design first: not routing the board, but automatically generating the design rules the layout gets checked against.
▶ Watch the full video: youtube.com/watch?v=qX29OWSYTmI
💡 Watch Next:
• AI PCB Layout vs. Human Design: The Honest Truth: youtube.com/watch?v=qX29OWSYTmI
• AI PCB Autorouting: What's Real and What's Hype: youtube.com/watch?v=YJTbsoxPg7E
• AI PCB Design: Turning a 100-Page Spec Into an MCU Shortlist: youtube.com/watch?v=l-ypLNl8Ub8
• The Truth About AI in PCB EMC Compliance: youtube.com/watch?v=ArdBQAxz3xM
• What's the Future of AI in Electronics Design?: youtube.com/watch?v=YvghL5PGlo4
💡 Stay Connected:
Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more in-depth tutorials and tips from @AltiumAcademy Share your thoughts and questions in the comments below!
👉 Subscribe for more: youtube.com/@AltiumAcademy?sub_confirmation=1
Don't forget to follow us on social to stay up-to-date on the latest Altium Academy content.
👉 Follow Altium on TikTok: tiktok.com/@altiumdesigner
👉 Follow Altium on Twitter: twitter.com/altium
👉 Follow Altium on Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/altium
👉 Follow Altium on Facebook: facebook.com/AltiumOfficial
The Altium Academy is an online experience created to bring modern education to PCB Designers and Engineers all across the world. Here you can access a vast library of free training and educational content covering everything from basic design to advanced principles and step-by-step walkthroughs. Join industry legends as they share their career knowledge, review real-life design projects, or learn how to leverage one of Altium's leading design tools. No matter your level of experience, the Altium Academy can help you become a better Designer and Engineer!
About Altium LLC
Altium LLC (ASX:ALU), a global software company based in San Diego, California, is accelerating the pace of innovation through electronics. From individual inventors to multinational corporations, more PCB designers and engineers choose Altium software to design and realize electronics-based products.
#altium #pcbdesign #ai
