Abstract: Metamaterials are artificially designed structured materials that have attracted considerable attention due to their extraordinary properties that are not found in natural materials. As an important branch of metamaterials, thermal metamaterials canobtain a wide range of extraordinary thermal functions, such as thermal cloaking, thermal concentration, and thermal rotation, through flexible manipulation of heat flow, which makes them have significant application potential in the fields such as aerospace, energy, and electronics. Here,we first introduce the traditional design methods of thermal metamaterials based on transformation thermotics, scattering cancellation, and topology optimization, and discusse the limitations of traditional methods, such as low design efficiency, limited flexibility, and high computational costs. Subsequently, we highlight recent advances in the intelligent design of thermal metamaterials using deep learning and intelligent algorithms, and examine the unique advantages of the intelligent design method in terms of efficiency, flexibility, and the ability to meet complex design requirements. Finally, several application examples of thermal metamaterials with extraordinary thermal functions are presented, and the future research directions for intelligent design of thermal metamaterials are also discussed.