CPU Micro-Architect RTL Engineer
QualcommJob Title
CPU Micro-Architect RTL Engineer
Role Summary
Responsible for microarchitecture and RTL development of high-performance, energy-efficient CPU cores on the Hexagon team. Work includes low-power optimizations, performance exploration, and meeting area and timing targets while collaborating across architecture, verification, software, and physical-design teams.
Experience Level
Entry-level / Early-career — 1–3 years of relevant CPU architecture and RTL design experience expected.
Responsibilities
You will contribute to design, implementation, and delivery of CPU core microarchitecture and RTL. Key responsibilities include:
- Own microarchitecture and RTL implementation for CPU cores.
- Design and optimize processor pipelines, including out-of-order execution and load/store units.
- Develop and optimize caches, cache-coherence mechanisms, and memory-hierarchy components.
- Perform low-power optimizations and trade-off analysis between performance, area, and power.
- Drive performance exploration and meet area and timing goals.
- Collaborate with software, verification, physical-design, and system teams; participate in design reviews.
- Produce and maintain RTL, design documentation, and implementation deliverables.
Requirements
Must-have technical experience and skills:
- 1–3 years of hands-on experience in CPU architecture and RTL design.
- Practical experience with processor pipelines, out-of-order execution, and load/store units.
- Experience with caches, cache-coherence, and memory-hierarchy design.
- Experience designing for multi-processor and multi-threaded systems.
- RTL development experience (writing, reviewing, and maintaining synthesizable RTL).
- Experience with low-power techniques, performance analysis, and meeting area/timing constraints.
- Strong communication, collaboration, and teamwork skills.
Nice-to-have:
- Familiarity with RISC-V or other ISA design and instruction-set issues.
- Experience with RTOS-aware designs, software-architecture interactions, or power/thermal/di/dt challenges.
- Prior work on mobile, automotive, or AI accelerator cores.
Education Requirements
Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field preferred; minimum requirement is a Bachelor's degree in Science, Engineering, or a related field.
About the Company
Company: Qualcomm
Headquarters: San Diego, California, United States
Qualcomm is a global leader in semiconductor and telecommunications equipment, specializing in mobile technologies and innovations. Known for its Adreno GPUs, the company provides solutions enabling advancements in mobile gaming, AI, VR/AR, and autonomous driving. Qualcomm's cutting-edge technology and commitment to high-performance, power-efficient designs drive the evolution of mobile graphics and connectivity worldwide.
