# VeriMind: Agentic LLM for Automated Verilog Generation with a Novel Evaluation Metric

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.16514 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.16514/

## Key facts

- Cited by 12 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Placed in Software engineering coding agents, one of 16 directions in LLM agents and tool use.
- Builds on 10 of its 26 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 15 Mar 2025.

## Placed in

- LLM agents and tool use / [Software engineering coding agents](https://mlsanity.com/agents/software-engineering-coding-agents/)

## Builds on (most cited first, 10 of 10)

- [Attention Is All You Need](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1706.03762/) (2017)
- [BERT: Pre-training of Deep Bidirectional Transformers for Language Understanding](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1810.04805/) (2018)
- [An Image is Worth 16x16 Words: Transformers for Image Recognition at Scale](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.11929/) (2020)
- [DeepSeek-Coder-V2: Breaking the Barrier of Closed-Source Models in Code Intelligence](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.11931/) (2024)
- [BetterV: Controlled Verilog Generation with Discriminative Guidance](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.03375/) (2024)
- [CodeV: Empowering LLMs with HDL Generation through Multi-Level Summarization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.10424/) (2024)
- [AutoVCoder: A Systematic Framework for Automated Verilog Code Generation using LLMs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.18333/) (2024)
- [Rome was Not Built in a Single Step: Hierarchical Prompting for LLM-based Chip Design](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.18276/) (2024)
- [A Multi-Expert Large Language Model Architecture for Verilog Code Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.08029/) (2024)
- [HiVeGen -- Hierarchical LLM-based Verilog Generation for Scalable Chip Design](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.05393/) (2024)

## Built on by (most cited first, 12 of 12)

- [Vibe Coding vs. Agentic Coding: Fundamentals and Practical Implications of Agentic AI](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.19443/) (2025)
- [ReasoningV: Efficient Verilog Code Generation with Adaptive Hybrid Reasoning Model](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.14560/) (2025)
- [Large Language Model for Verilog Code Generation: Literature Review and the Road Ahead](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2512.00020/) (2025)
- [TB or Not TB: Coverage-Driven Direct Preference Optimization for Verilog Stimulus Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2511.15767/) (2025)
- [Automating Hardware Design and Verification from Architectural Papers via a Neural-Symbolic Graph Framework](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2511.06067/) (2025)
- [Unlocking LLM Code Correction with Iterative Feedback Loops](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.17514/) (2026)
- [VeriPilot: An LLM-Powered Verilog Debugging Framework](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.23759/) (2026)
- [LLMs in Digital EDA: A perspective on shifting roles from Generation to Orchestration](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.27184/) (2026)
- [A2H-MAS: An Algorithm-to-HLS Multi-Agent System for Automated and Reliable FPGA Implementation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2508.10904/) (2025)
- [AutoFlows++: Hierarchical Message Flow Mining for System on Chip Designs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.15359/) (2026)
- [LEGO: An LLM Skill-Based Front-End Design Generation Platform](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.23355/) (2026)
- [When LLMs Over-Answer: Measuring and Mitigating Quality Issues in LLM-Based Hardware Description Language Question Answering](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.17063/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Designing Verilog modules requires meticulous attention to correctness, efficiency, and adherence to design specifications. However, manually writing Verilog code remains a complex and time-consuming task that demands both expert knowledge and iterative refinement. Leveraging recent advancements in large language models (LLMs) and their structured text generation capabilities, we propose VeriMind, an agentic LLM framework for Verilog code generation that significantly automates and optimizes the synthesis process. Unlike traditional LLM-based code generators, VeriMind employs a structured reasoning approach: given a user-provided prompt describing design requirements, the system first formulates a detailed train of thought before the final Verilog code is generated. This multi-step methodology enhances interpretability, accuracy, and adaptability in hardware design. In addition, we introduce a novel evaluation metric-pass@ARC-which combines the conventional pass@k measure with Average Refinement Cycles (ARC) to capture both success rate and the efficiency of iterative refinement. Experimental results on diverse hardware design tasks demonstrated that our approach achieved up to 8.3% improvement on pass@k metric and 8.1% on pass@ARC metric. These findings underscore the transformative potential of agentic LLMs in automated hardware design, RTL development, and digital system synthesis.
