ChipGPT: How far are we from natural language hardware design

As large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT exhibited unprecedented machine intelligence, it also shows great performance in assisting hardware engineers to realize higher-efficiency logic design via natural language interaction. To estimate the potential of the hardware design process assisted by LLMs, this work attempts to demonstrate an automated design environment that explores LLMs to generate hardware logic designs from natural language specifications. To realize a more accessible and efficient chip development flow, we present a scalable four-stage zero-code logic design framework based on LLMs without retraining or finetuning. At first, the demo, ChipGPT, begins by generating prompts for the LLM, which then produces initial Verilog programs. Second, an output manager corrects and optimizes these programs before collecting them into the final design space. Eventually, ChipGPT will search through this space to select the optimal design under the target metrics. The evaluation sheds some light on whether LLMs can generate correct and complete hardware logic designs described by natural language for some specifications. It is shown that ChipGPT improves programmability, and controllability, and shows broader design optimization space compared to prior work and native LLMs alone

Porous hierarchical TiO2/MoS2/RGO nanoflowers as anode material for sodium ion batteries with high capacity and stability

To enhance the reversible capacity and cycle stability of MoS2 as anode materials for sodium ion batteries (SIBs), we constructed a hybrid architecture composed of MoS2 and TiO2 nanosheets, linking with reduced graphene oxide (RGO) to another TiO2/MoS2 to form a nanoflower structure. Owing to layered RGO coupled with TiO2/MoS2 hybrid, such a composite offered interconnected conductive channels to short shuttle path of Na+ ions and favorable transport kinetics under charge/discharge cycling. Moreover, this unique structure showed a porous and hierarchical architecture, which not only buffered volume changes but also provided more electrochemical active sites during insertion/deintercalation processes of Na ions. Outstanding electrochemical performances were identified by the component matching effect among TiO2, MoS2 and RGO with a three-dimensional (3D) interconnected network, exhibiting a good reversible capacity of 616 mA h g-1 after 100 cycles at 0.1 A g-1, an excellent rate capability of 250 mA h g-1 even at 5A g-1 and a long cycling stability of 460 mA h g-1 with a capacity fluctuation of 0.03% per cycle within 350 cycles at 1 A g-1

Genome-wide identification and characterization of the Hsp70 gene family in allopolyploid rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) compared with its diploid progenitors

Heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) plays an essential role in plant growth and development, as well as stress response. Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) originated from recently interspecific hybridization between Brassica rapa and Brassica oleracea. In this study, a total of 47 Hsp70 genes were identified in B. napus (AnAnCnCn genome), including 22 genes from An subgenome and 25 genes from Cn subgenome. Meanwhile, 29 and 20 Hsp70 genes were explored in B. rapa (ArAr genome) and B. oleracea (CoCo genome), respectively. Based on phylogenetic analysis, 114 Hsp70 proteins derived from B. napus, B. rapa, B. oleracea and Arabidopsis thaliana, were divided into 6 subfamilies containing 16 Ar-An and 11 Co-Cn reliable orthologous pairs. The homology and synteny analysis indicated whole genome triplication and segmental duplication may be the major contributor for the expansion of Hsp70 gene family. Intron gain of BnHsp70 genes and domain loss of BnHsp70 proteins also were found in B. napus, associating with intron evolution and module evolution of proteins after allopolyploidization. In addition, transcriptional profiles analyses indicated that expression patterns of most BnHsp70 genes were tissue-specific. Moreover, Hsp70 orthologs exhibited different expression patterns in the same tissue and Cn subgenome biased expression was observed in leaf. These findings contribute to exploration of the evolutionary adaptation of polyploidy and will facilitate further application of BnHsp70 gene functions