The Dawn of Agentic EDA: A Survey of Autonomous Digital Chip Design

Abstract: This survey provides a comprehensive overview of the integration of Generative AI and Agentic AI within the field of Digital Electronic Design Automation (EDA). The paper first reviews the paradigmatic evolution from traditional Computer-Aided Design (CAD) to AI-assisted EDA (AI4EDA), and finally to the emerging AI-Native and Agentic design paradigms. We detail the application of these paradigms across the digital chip design flow, including the construction of agentic cognitive architectures based on multimodal foundation models, frontend RTL code generation and intelligent verification, and backend physical design featuring algorithmic innovations and tool orchestration. We validate these methodologies through integrated case studies, demonstrating practical viability from microarchitecture definition to GDSII. Special emphasis is placed on the potential for cross-stage feedback loops where agents utilize backend PPA metrics to autonomously refine frontend logic. Furthermore, this survey delves into the dual-faceted impact on security, covering novel adversarial risks, automated vulnerability repair, and privacy-preserving infrastructure. Finally, the paper critically summarizes current challenges related to hallucinations, data scarcity, and black-box tools, and outlines future trends towards L4 autonomous chip design. Ultimately, this work aims to define the emerging field of Agentic EDA and provide a strategic roadmap for the transition from AI-assisted tools to fully autonomous design engineers.