Tool overview
hardware intelligence is listed under Programming AI tools.
What is hardware intelligence?
hardware intelligence is building an agent-native toolchain for chip design. Its first product, Wave, is a terminal-native waveform debugger with a verification agent that traces signal failures to evidence, proposes fixes with tradeoffs, reruns simulations, and compares resulting waveforms locally on customer machines.
Best for
ASIC and FPGA verification teams debugging large waveform failures locally
Who is it for?
Decision note
Reviewed the official company site, Wave launch page, waitlist and demo flow, and Y Combinator profile. Terminal-native debugging, VCD and FST support, assisted FSDB integration, local and on-premises operation, bring-your-own model key, evidence-backed tracing, simulation reruns, 2026 founding, and San Francisco location were confirmed.
Key features
Opens waveform dumps directly in the terminal
Reads VCD and FST files
Traces signal failures to exact ticks
Proposes fixes with power, performance, or area tradeoffs
Reruns customer simulations to verify changes
Runs locally with customer model keys or endpoints
Use cases
Debug failed ASIC simulations
Trace FPGA signal propagation errors
Compare waveforms before and after a fix
Investigate unknown values in large dumps
Pilot agent-assisted verification inside secure networks
Pros
- Runs fully on customer machines
- Keeps design data and model keys local
- Meets hardware engineers in terminal workflows
- Links explanations to auditable waveform evidence
Limitations
Wave is an early verification tool and cannot replace formal review, simulation methodology, or sign-off. Teams should validate supported dump formats, simulator compatibility, model accuracy, local security, generated patches, performance on multi-gigabyte files, and responsibility for final hardware changes.
Pricing details
Billing options
Pricing note
Wave is onboarding pilot teams through demos and a waitlist. Public license or seat prices are not listed. The company contrasts its product with high-cost incumbent licenses, but buyers must confirm pilot pricing, on-premises support, model usage, FSDB integration, updates, and commercial terms directly.
Supported programming languages
- English
Integrations
VCD
FST
FSDB with onboarding
SSH
tmux
Customer model endpoints
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