PDC (polycrystalline diamond compact) bit is the main rock-breaking tool in oil and gas drilling field, which has the advantages of high abrasion, high rate of penetration and high rock-breaking efficiency. As a cutting unit, PDC cutter determines the rock-breaking performance of PDC bit. The purpose of PDC bit cutter arrangement is to determine the spatial position of each PDC cutter on the bit, so that the bit has excellent performance and reliable life when drilling and breaking rock. PDC bits designed based on different cutter arrangement technologies show different rock-breaking performance during drilling. Therefore, the PDC bit cutter arrangement technology has been widely concerned by scholars at home and abroad. At present, a large number of scholars have made corresponding research on the cutter arrangement technology of PDC bit since its birth, but there is still a lack of systematic summary. For this reason, based on the literature about PDC bit cutter arrangement technology at home and abroad in recent years, the development process of PDC bit cutter arrangement technology since its birth was summarized, mainly including the early cutter arrangement stage, the classical cutter arrangement stage and the modern cutter arrangement stage. Through analyzing and summarizing the development process of PDC bit cutter arrangement technology, it was pointed out that the cutter arrangement technology of PDC bit in composite PDC bit, compatible intelligent PDC bit, long-life PDC bit, force-balanced PDC bit, PDC bit under impact and vibration and PDC bit in special formation represented the future development trend. The research results can provide some reference for the subsequent research of PDC bit cutter arrangement technology, and are expected to promote the further development of PDC bit cutter arrangement technology.