Semiconductor Design Engineer Jobs in Hillsboro, Oregon
Hillsboro is where Intel does its most advanced work in the United States. The Ronler Acres campus is the center of Intel's process technology development, and most semiconductor design jobs in the area run through it one way or another.
The roles here lean toward process technology design, physical design, DFT, and manufacturing ramp. Thousands of engineers at Ronler Acres work on process nodes like Intel 3 and Intel 18A, design rule development, physical design library creation, silicon bring-up, and design-technology co-optimization (DTCO). Intel's foundry team also works from Hillsboro so that outside customers can build chips on Intel's nodes.
The Intel 18A ramp drives a lot of the current hiring. Bringing a new node into high-volume manufacturing pulls in physical design engineers for library and standard-cell work, DFT engineers for test and yield, and silicon validation engineers who spend their days in the lab during bring-up. If you have taped out on an advanced node and debugged first silicon, that experience reads directly onto these teams.
Intel is not the only employer. Lattice Semiconductor, headquartered in the area, is a significant FPGA design center, and Qorvo keeps an Oregon team on RF GaAs work that traces back to TriQuint. Applied Materials, Lam Research, and KLA all run Oregon offices to support Intel's fabs, which adds equipment and process engineering roles on top of the chip design jobs.
SemiDesignJobs lists roles across Hillsboro, Portland, Beaverton, and the wider Washington County tech corridor, so you can filter by company, design specialty, and experience level. Most postings cluster around Hillsboro itself, while Portland proper picks up the smaller fabless and EDA shops.
The trade that keeps engineers here is cost of living. Home prices run well below Santa Clara or Sunnyvale, and Oregon has no sales tax, though it does tax income. Combined with Intel's total compensation, the quality-of-life-adjusted pay is strong. Our salary guide has ranges by role and seniority if you want to compare against the Bay Area.
For more in the area and at Intel specifically, see chip design jobs in Portland, OR and Intel physical design roles. Set up a SemiDesignJobs profile with Hillsboro alerts and you will hear when a matching role opens.
FAQ
What semiconductor design roles does Intel have in Hillsboro, Oregon?
Intel's Ronler Acres campus covers a wide range: process design kit (PDK) development, physical design library engineering, silicon bring-up and debug, design-technology co-optimization, DFT engineering, and advanced node design enablement. Intel's foundry services team also works from Hillsboro, helping external customers design chips on Intel's process nodes.
Are there semiconductor design companies in Oregon besides Intel?
Yes. Intel dominates, but Lattice Semiconductor runs a major FPGA design center headquartered in the area, and Qorvo keeps an Oregon team on RF GaAs IC work that traces back to TriQuint. Several EDA and semiconductor equipment offices support Intel, and the broader Portland area has some fabless IC design firms.
What is the cost of living like for semiconductor engineers in Hillsboro versus Silicon Valley?
Hillsboro costs far less than Silicon Valley. Median home prices run roughly 40 to 50% below Santa Clara or Sunnyvale. Oregon has no sales tax, though it does have a state income tax. Paired with Intel's competitive total compensation, that makes Hillsboro a strong option on quality-of-life-adjusted pay.