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CPU Physical Design CAD Engineer (Lead/Staff/Sr Staff)

Qualcomm
September 07, 2026
Full-time
On-site
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Physical Design Jobs, Level - Senior

Job Title

CPU Physical Design CAD Engineer (Lead/Staff/Sr Staff)

Role Summary

Join Qualcomm's CPU physical design CAD team to build, maintain and optimize place-and-route implementation tools and flows used for high-performance custom CPUs. The role supports global CPU physical design teams and drives methodology and tool improvements to achieve best-in-class power, performance and area (PPA).

Experience Level

Senior. Typical experience expectations: roughly 6+ years with a Bachelor's, 5+ years with a Master's, or 4+ years with a PhD in a relevant field; preferred candidates have 7+ years hands-on place-and-route or CAD experience.

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities focus on developing and supporting implementation automation, methodologies and flows for CPU designs.

  • Develop, integrate and release new features in the high-performance place-and-route CAD flow.
  • Architect and recommend methodology improvements to optimize PPA for custom CPUs.
  • Maintain, debug and support implementation flows; resolve project-specific tool and flow issues.
  • Collaborate with worldwide CPU physical design teams to provide methodology guidance and achieve timing and PPA goals.
  • Work with EDA vendors to define roadmaps and resolve tool issues impacting implementation flows.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and experience; preferred items are noted.

  • Must: Hands-on experience in place-and-route and implementation automation for high-performance chips.
  • Must: Proficiency in scripting (Tcl) and Python for flow development and automation.
  • Must: Practical experience across physical design tasks including placement, routing, timing analysis, sign-off and PDV.
  • Must: Strong understanding of digital design, timing analysis and physical verification concepts.
  • Preferred: Experience with advanced technology nodes (5 nm or smaller) and managing place-and-route flows at those nodes.
  • Preferred: Familiarity with industry-standard place-and-route tools (for example, Cadence Innovus) and proven track record of regressing and maintaining P&R flows.
  • Preferred: Experience working with EDA vendors and cross-site CPU physical design teams.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's, Master’s or PhD in Computer Science, Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Engineering or a related field. Typical minimum experience expectations: Bachelor’s +6 years, Master’s +5 years, or PhD +4 years of relevant hardware engineering or CAD experience.


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.

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Date Posted: 2026-09-06