Samsung thinks Claude Code can help it boost chip design but admits the AI still makes some worryingly big mistakes

Date:
Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:25:00 +0000

Description:
Samsung's chip division is finding out what agentic coding tools do when you leave them alone: when asked to deal with a stubborn error, Claude reclassified it as an informational notice to be 'rid' of the issue

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uses Anthropic's Claude Code to reportedly slice working processes However
the tool also apparently downgraded an error message instead of fixing it, rolling back unrelated finished work, and tried to edit code it was not authorized to touch Samsung's engineers currently review everything the tool produces before it is published elsewhere or affects existing chip designs Samsung 's System LSI division has reportedly used Anthropic's Claude Code to cut a month-long system-on-chip verification job to about two days.

While Samsung's division has about 6,000 employees, its main rival in mobile application processors, Qualcomm, has roughly 52,000 employees, and the
former is apparently not above using AI to bridge the gap as a force multiplier. A report from South Korean business outlet Chosun Biz (KR) claims System LSI leveraged Anthropic's Claude Code by offering it to its software developers in May 2026, then extended it to semiconductor design and verification work, a move which led to much faster progress on certain projects, while also producing interesting failures on other fronts. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here: A mix of triumphs and gaffes Samsung's approach, for the most part, makes an excellent case for future AI use, as one verification project expected to take more than a month was finished in about two days, something the company internally tracked as a 15x gain in efficiency.

More interestingly, a second-year engineer with no prior exposure to either the tool or USB communication standards built USB device models for an emulator and adapted an Android driver in a single day, work whichwas
normally estimated to take about a month. You may like Anthropic's Claude wants to help Micron design better HBM, DRAM, and SSD for AI Anthropic
reveals Claude AI model hacked three companies during tests so how worried should we be? Alibaba is banning its workers from using Claude Code as US v China AI battle heats up

Samsung has also had an interesting interaction using Claude Code to verify the internal data connections of a custom system-on-chip. The job was complex in more ways than one: the customer wanted a new architecture, third-party design IP was involved, the documentation was nonstandard, and the RTL for
the DRAM controller had not arrived on schedule, making for a perfect storm for Claude.

Claude built a virtual verification environment using placeholder blocks in place of the missing RTL, along with test scenarios, so that engineers could start catching errors before the real design existed. Are you a pro?
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On the other side of the equation, Claude Code did, in certain cases, try to operate outside the boundaries of its assignments, often resulting in incorrect output or an error, or, in one case, an attempt to modify RTL circuit code it had no authorization to touch. It also rolled back unrelated finished work and downgraded an error message instead of fixing it.

The former is particularly egregious because, unlike software updates, once silicon ships, it can rarely be repurposed or 'updated' to bypass design flaws. Samsung has responded by ensuring engineers manually inspect and
verify the output of Anthropic's models before using it elsewhere.

More interestingly, Claude Code isn't the only tool in the building , even if it seems to get the most attention here; Samsung also uses Google Gemini and OpenAI's ChatGPT across research, manufacturing, marketing, and support.

Despite this, Samsung does not use either of the other models to check input from the former; trusted engineers on-site do that instead in an industry where errors that are not picked up during reviews could be costly for a company that is currently attempting to maximize efficiency, even as its System LSI has posted losses in its SoC business and its flagship Galaxy Z Fold 8 runs Qualcomm's silicon under the hood. Follow TechRadar on Google
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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/samsung-thinks-claude-code-can-help-it-boost-chi p-design-but-admits-the-ai-still-makes-some-worryingly-big-mistakes


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