Diode automates hardware design, like hiring a senior electronic engineer for your projects. We use generative AI models to create custom printed circuit boards in minutes, not weeks.
Automate circuit board design using AI
Title: Diode Computers, Inc.: Automate circuit board design using AI | Y Combinator

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### Automate circuit board design using AI

Diode automates hardware design, like hiring a senior electronic engineer for your projects. We use generative AI models to create custom printed circuit boards in minutes, not weeks.



Diode Computers, Inc.

Founded:2024

Team Size:2

Location:New York

### Active Founders

### Davide Asnaghi, Founder

Davide is the Co-Founder and CEO @ Diode Computers, Inc. - 6 Years of experience building hardware at big tech (Special Projects Group @ Apple working on robotics) and medtech startups (Butterfly Network, Chromatic). - B.Sc. Engineering and Robotics, doing research in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, hardware capital of the world - M.Eng. At Berkeley: designed open source hand prosthesis hardware



### Lenny Khazan, Founder

Lenny is the Co-Founder and CTO @ Diode Computers, Inc. - B.S. in Computer Science from Yale University - Attended Apple’s WWDC conference on selective student scholarship: 2012, 2013, 2016 (age 13, 14, 17) - Software + firmware engineering at software startups (Snackpass YC W18) and hard-tech (Butterfly Network, Chromatic)



### Company Launches

[### Diode Computers, Inc. — Circuit boards as a service](

Ciao Y Combinator! We’re [Davide]( and [Lenny]( from [Diode Computers, Inc.](

**TL;DR: Diode is an end-to-end platform for circuit board design. With the help of AI, we can finish a months-long design project in days, and then ship working boards straight to your door.**

**Try out our designer at **[** or shop generated boards at **[**

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Problem
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Designing printed circuit boards (PCBs) is really hard. Existing tools provide little opportunity for design reuse, so most projects are started from scratch. Since there’s no good way to test your design, your best bet is to just order them and hope for the best.

Thought you were done? Nope — ordering PCBs is a pain too. Now you need to source the components, ship them across the globe to your manufacturer, and constantly be on the lookout for part shortages and replacements. It’s a full-time job.

Solution
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Diode solves this by owning the entire PCB design process end-to-end. It starts with a core of composable, reusable modules that users can stitch together to build their boards. When new use cases come up, our AI generator creates new modules in seconds instead of days. And with rigorously-tested modules instead of de novo designs, we can be confident that each board works first try.



We then take the user’s design and automatically translate it into manufacturing requirements to send to the factory. We stockpile all of the necessary components to remove the burden of supply chain management from users and amortize the cost of parts across all designs.

The result is an all-in-one platform for hardware design: describe what you need and get working boards delivered to your door.

Why
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In a past life, we designed hardware at companies like Apple, and we encountered a problem: PCBs never worked on the first try. At best, they required micro-soldering surgery under a microscope and, at worst, a whole new board. These issues were driving us mad, so we started a company to fix it.

We want to make hardware design work more like software. Fast iteration cycles, reusable components with clean composition, and one-click ordering to build your products fast and cheap. Our vision is to turn PCB design into a software problem.

**P.S.** Want a customized NFC business card with your logo? Get your own: [



#### YC Sign Photo



### Hear from the founders

#### How did your company get started? (i.e., How did the founders meet? How did you come up with the idea? How did you decide to be a founder?)

In a past life, we designed hardware at companies like Apple, and we encountered a problem: PCBs never worked on the first try. At best they required micro-soldering surgery under a microscope, or at worst, a whole new board. These issues were driving us mad, so we started a company to fix it.

#### What is your long-term vision? If you truly succeed, what will be different about the world?

We want to make hardware design work more like software. Fast iteration cycles, a compiler to yell at you when you make a mistake, and reusable components with clean composition. Today, we’re starting with customizable, build-to-order dev boards for components like the NVIDIA Jetson Nano.
