AI/ML-driven ASIC Design and Implementation Automation Engineer

Job Title

AI/ML-driven ASIC Design and Implementation Automation Engineer

Role Summary

Research, prototype, and evaluate AI/ML techniques applied to VLSI CAD to automate ASIC design and implementation. Work in the Advanced Chip Engineering (ACE) Design Methodologies and Automation team to improve power, performance, area, and result quality for SoC and IP development.

Collaborate with academic partners, AI/ML experts, architects, IP and SoC designers, verification and implementation teams to pilot and deploy automation on real designs.

Experience Level

Mid-level — typically requires 5+ years of experience applying AI/ML techniques to real-world optimization or engineering problems.

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities include research, prototyping, evaluation, and integration of AI/ML methods into ASIC design flows.

• Research and prototype AI/ML methods (GenAI, reinforcement learning, graph neural networks, convolutional networks) for VLSI CAD and implementation automation.
• Develop and evaluate prototype solutions on real SoC and IP designs to improve power, performance, area, and quality.
• Integrate automation prototypes with implementation teams, architects, IP designers, and verification groups across sites.
• Partner with academic and industry AI/ML communities to transfer state-of-the-art techniques into practical flows.
• Define tool requirements, contribute to VLSI CAD software, and drive productionization of successful methods.
• Analyze results, iterate on solutions, and document findings for cross-team adoption.

Requirements

Must-have skills and experience; desirable items listed separately.

• 5+ years applying AI/ML techniques (LLMs, CNN, RNN, GraphNN) to optimization or engineering problems.
• Strong software development skills in Python and C++.
• Solid knowledge of data structures, algorithms, and optimization approaches.
• Experience with Unix/Linux environments, revision control (Git, BitBucket), and SW development/debug tools.
• Excellent analytical, verbal, and written communication skills.

Nice-to-have:

• Experience with VLSI CAD methodology, tool development, or EDA tools for design, verification, DFT, and implementation.
• Familiarity with digital design concepts and implementation flows: SDC, clocks, CDC, static timing analysis, UPF/low-power flows, layout and physical design.
• Knowledge of HDL (SystemVerilog, Verilog, VHDL), design revision control (DesignSync), Make, and CI/CD tools (Jenkins, LSF); observability tools such as Splunk.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related discipline (BS/MS).

About the Company

Company: NXP Semiconductors

Headquarters: Nijmegen, Netherlands

NXP Semiconductors N.V. is a global semiconductor company that provides High Performance Mixed Signal and Standard Product solutions. With over 45,000 employees and operations in more than 35 countries, NXP is a leader in secure connectivity solutions for embedded applications, catering to automotive, industrial IoT, mobile, and communication infrastructure markets. The company is committed to innovation and sustainability, advancing a smarter, safer, and more sustainable world through technology.