Semiconductor Design Engineer Jobs in Research Triangle, NC
Wolfspeed put silicon carbide on the map in North Carolina, and the Research Triangle has built around power semiconductors ever since. If you design SiC MOSFETs or power modules, Durham and Research Triangle Park are two of the few US addresses where that work is concentrated rather than scattered across a dozen employers.
Wolfspeed, formerly Cree, runs its headquarters and fab operations here, and its Durham and RTP sites hire power device engineers with SiC MOSFET, Schottky diode, and power module experience. It is not only power work. Cisco's RTP teams build networking ASICs and work on silicon photonics, and the IBM and Red Hat campus carries hardware and ASIC roles tied to OpenPOWER and RISC-V. Ericsson runs North American semiconductor R&D in the area for wireless infrastructure.
Power semiconductor work in RTP stays close to the device physics. SiC MOSFET and module engineers spend their time on gate-drive behavior, switching losses, thermal design, and reliability under hard-switching conditions, not just schematic capture. The digital roles at Cisco and IBM look more like conventional ASIC flows: RTL, synthesis, timing, and physical design.
SemiDesignJobs lists roles across Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, and RTP itself, so you can filter by company, specialty, and experience level. The region keeps pulling investment. Wolfspeed's roughly $5B SiC fab in Chatham County is the headline, and CHIPS Act money has reached several RTP companies. NC State, Duke, and UNC Chapel Hill feed a steady supply of engineers, which is part of why design centers keep landing here instead of somewhere pricier.
Pay here tracks the national IC design market more than the local cost of living, so senior power and ASIC roles stay competitive with the coasts while housing costs far less. Our salary guide breaks down ranges by role and seniority, and the roundup of companies hiring is a good way to see who is staffing up across the field.
For more in the area and in power semiconductors specifically, see semiconductor design jobs in Raleigh, NC and Infineon power IC design roles. Create a SemiDesignJobs profile, set up Research Triangle alerts, and you will get an email when something matching your filters opens.
FAQ
What is Wolfspeed's significance for semiconductor design jobs in North Carolina?
Wolfspeed, formerly Cree, is the defining semiconductor employer in the Research Triangle. It is the world's leading silicon carbide power semiconductor company, and its Durham headquarters and Chatham County fab are expanding with CHIPS Act support. That growth is creating hundreds of SiC power device design, process engineering, and application engineering jobs across North Carolina.
What semiconductor specializations are strongest in Research Triangle?
SiC and wide-bandgap power design, led by Wolfspeed, is the dominant specialty. Networking ASIC and silicon photonics work at Cisco, wireless infrastructure semiconductors at Ericsson, and cloud ASIC design at IBM and Red Hat all have a real presence. Data center growth in the state is also pushing demand for server ASIC and power IC engineers.
Is Research Triangle growing as a semiconductor design hub?
Yes. Wolfspeed's roughly $5B SiC fab, CHIPS Act awards to several local companies, and a cost of living well below Silicon Valley are all pulling investment in. NC State's engineering programs and the region's research parks are expanding to match, which makes RTP one of the faster-growing US design hubs right now.