# AI PCB Design: Turning a 100-Page Spec Into an MCU Shortlist

- Show: [OnTrack](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack)
- Published: 2026-08-25
- Length: 31m
- Episode: 351
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2026-08-25-ai-pcb-design-turning-a-100-page-spec-into-an-mcu-shortlist
- Listen: https://podcast.altium.com/e/ai-pcb-design-turning-a-100-page-spec-into-an-mcu-shortlist/

## Summary

Marco Witzmann, Head of Requirements Portal at Altium, demonstrates the new AI-powered engineering assistant within the Altium Requirements Portal, formerly known as Requirements Manager. He walks through a live demo of converting a high-level email about a wind-farm inspection drone into structured requirements, using skills to enforce team standards and generate TBD placeholders. The workflow highlights the AI's ability to break down specs into mechanical, electronics, and flight software categories with full traceability, and specifically how it extracts MCU-driving parameters from a 100-page IMU PDF for Octopart parametric search. Witzmann and host Zach Peterson discuss the tool's role in faster iteration, team standardization, and future roadmap items like API access and ECAD integration.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2026-08-25-ai-pcb-design-turning-a-100-page-spec-into-an-mcu-shortlist#t=0) Introduction: Marco Witzmann and the Requirements Portal Evolution
- [1:32](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2026-08-25-ai-pcb-design-turning-a-100-page-spec-into-an-mcu-shortlist#t=92) Requirements Portal Overview: Collaboration and Iteration
- [7:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2026-08-25-ai-pcb-design-turning-a-100-page-spec-into-an-mcu-shortlist#t=444) UI Integration and the Engineering Assistant Demo
- [13:35](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2026-08-25-ai-pcb-design-turning-a-100-page-spec-into-an-mcu-shortlist#t=815) Breaking Down Specs: Drone Requirements and Traceability
- [17:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2026-08-25-ai-pcb-design-turning-a-100-page-spec-into-an-mcu-shortlist#t=1063) AI-Assisted Import: Processing 100-Page IMU PDFs
- [24:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2026-08-25-ai-pcb-design-turning-a-100-page-spec-into-an-mcu-shortlist#t=1487) MCU Selection: From Requirements to Octopart Search
- [27:19](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2026-08-25-ai-pcb-design-turning-a-100-page-spec-into-an-mcu-shortlist#t=1639) Roadmap: API Access, ECAD Integration, and Access Control

## Topics

- [EDA & CAD tools](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/eda-and-cad-tools)
- [PCB design & layout](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pcb-design)
- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Design for manufacturing & NPI](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/design-for-manufacturing)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Altium (company)
- Requirements Portal (product)
- Octopart (tool)
- Nexar (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Layout Review with Zachariah Peterson](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2026-03-11-layout-review-with-zachariah-peterson) (The Amp Hour)
- [Can AI Design IoT Hardware? | Flux's Matthias Wagner | Internet of Things Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2026-04-14-can-ai-design-iot-hardware-fluxs-matthias-wagner-internet-of-things-podcast) (IoT For All Podcast)
- [205: Advances in Electronic Product Engineering Methods](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-12-14-205-advances-in-electronic-product-engineering-methods) (Product Startup)
- [Improving PCB Structural Design and Reliability through Numerical Simulation](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2022-09-23-improving-pcb-structural-design-and-reliability-through-numerical-simulation) (EE Times Current)
- [Freeing EEs to Design Like Tony Stark](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2024-05-07-freeing-ees-to-design-like-tony-stark) (Moore's Lobby)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2026-08-25-ai-pcb-design-turning-a-100-page-spec-into-an-mcu-shortlist. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to OnTrack.