DAC 2026: Among the start-ups at this year’s conference, Vinci was one of the most progressive, with a  physics-bsed AI software platform for predictive hardware design.

The company introduced its second physics model, a thermo-mechanical simulation tool.

The simulation tools predicts how hardware designs bend, twist, deform and warp under real-world thermal conditions with deterministic analysis across extreme scales. The first tool developed by Vinci simulates thermal conduction and this second model builds on this to automatically predict stress and warpage using full-resolution designs.

 No manual set-up is required. The system uses a pre-trained model which runs securely behind a firewall. It operates from component level to full system assemblies, and without geometric simplification or reliance on rule-of-mixture approximations. Material behaviour can be derived directly from real geometry, capturing the effects of layout, stacking and interfaces (illustrated is a modular chiplet package stack model). It also allows designers to connect local physics to system-level outcomes deterministically for repeatable decisions.

The thermo-mechanical warpage version connects real geometry to material behaviour, local stress, and global deformation in a fully automated, deterministic production flow that runs behind the firewall, explains CEO Hardik Kabaria (pictured).

The new, thermal-mechanical simulation tool is already in production at leading hardware companies, confirmed Vinci.

Vinci says its foundation model combines proven physics with an AI-based physics reasoning engine to deliver simulations up to 1,000x faster than traditional tools, with completely automated meshing, without hallucinations.

Founded in September 2023, Vinci is led by Hardik Kabaria. The company announced $46m in funding at the end of last year, with series A funding led by Xora Innovation and seed rounding funding led by Eclipse. Co-founder Sarah Osentoski is a pioneer in large-scale machine learning and autonomous systems. The company has 60 staff and is based in Palo Alto, California.

Other DAC news:

https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/products/software-products/cadence-certifies-ai-reference-flows-for-intel-18a-p-and-14a-technologies-2026-07/

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