The fastest way from idea to manufactured printed circuit board.
Circuit boards are in everything. Every phone, every medical device, every robot. But designing them still takes weeks of manual engineering and thousands of dollars - even for straightforward boards. As robotics, autonomous systems, and physical AI expand rapidly, the demand for faster hardware development workflows has climbed sharply - and the 30-year-old tools cannot keep up.
Trace sits at the design layer for modern hardware teams. It handles the full PCB workflow so they don't have to. From concept through block diagram, schematic capture, datasheet parsing, component selection, placement, layout, routing, DRC, and Gerber export. Import your enclosure (DXF/STEP) to keep board and case aligned. You define what to build - AI agents handle how.
Language + Graphical Reasoning
Describe what you want to build. Components, connections, constraints. Trace AI understands hardware in context and generates hierarchical multi-sheet schematics from natural language — complete with proper buses, global labels, and sub-sheet connectivity.
Component Selection
No more context switching. Trace agents parse datasheets, suggest components, and check real-time availability from JLCPCB, LCSC, DigiKey, Mouser, Texas Instruments, Amazon, and Nexar/Octopart. 30,000+ symbols and footprints included. Works for pros and hobbyists alike - filter by SMT, through-hole, or hand-solderable.
Fast Edits & Suggestions
Automated placement on multi-layer boards and routing with fast edits and layout suggestions. Advanced cloud routing for complex boards, matched length tuning for high-speed signals (DDR, USB, PCIe), and interactive length groups. Upload manufacturer DRC constraints and validate in real time.
Ready to Fabricate
Import existing KiCad designs for AI-powered Design Review. Catch issues early before costly board spins. Export clean Gerbers, BOM, and CPL (pick-and-place) files with DFM validation. Order directly from JLCPCB or PCBWay in one click — with real-time quoting and tracking.
See how Trace's AI agents handle the entire PCB design workflow, from concept to Gerber export, in real-time.
Wearables, smart home devices, sensors. Fast iteration cycles for connected products that need to ship quickly.
We know you have questions. Here's what hardware teams ask us most.
Trace supports up to 32-layer PCBs with intelligent layer stackup recommendations. Our AI understands impedance requirements, power plane placement, and signal integrity constraints. It automatically routes high-speed differential pairs, manages via stitching, and optimizes copper pours for thermal and EMI performance.
From YC-backed robotics startups to Berkeley professors, hardware security firms, RF engineers, defense contractors, and teams building wearables — Trace is already shipping real boards.
“I spent over 5 hours to build our current version PCB and it's so satisfying to see someone building an automated pipeline to make PCB boards. This thing is literally saving us time on small board revisions and component swaps.”
Research, plan, approve, execute. The AI researches your problem, asks clarifying questions, builds a step-by-step plan, then executes only after you approve.
Learn moreTraceRules teaches the AI your design conventions — component preferences, layout constraints, manufacturing targets. Persists across conversations.
Learn moreTrace electrical signal paths through schematic connectivity. Run Electrical Rule Checks and Design Rule Checks locally or in CI, with zero-exit-code support for pipelines.
Learn moreFull hierarchical schematic support with sub-sheets, buses, and global labels. Build complex multi-board projects with proper sheet-to-sheet connectivity.
Read the docsPre-manufacturing AI check catches issues before costly board spins. Upload your fab house's constraints and Trace validates against them automatically.
Learn moreJoin 4,000+ engineers designing faster with AI-native PCB automation. 14-day free trial with full access.
Download for macOSPrefer the command line? pip install buildwithtrace