CPU Verification Engineer
QualcommJob Title
CPU Verification Engineer
Role Summary
Design Verification Engineer responsible for validating CPU and SoC micro-architectures. Works with CPU and SoC architects to develop verification plans, environments, and regressions to ensure assigned designs are launch-ready.
Experience Level
Mid-level. Candidates typically have multiple years of CPU/SoC verification experience; see Education Requirements for formal minimums tied to degree level.
Responsibilities
Primary responsibilities include planning and executing verification for CPU components and subsystems.
- Collaborate with CPU and SoC architects to translate architecture into verification goals and test plans.
- Develop detailed test and coverage plans for assigned functional domains.
- Design and implement verification environments: stimulus, checkers, assertions, trackers, and coverage collectors.
- Implement portable testbenches, transactors, and assembly-based tests as required.
- Execute regressions, bring up DV environments and designs, debug failures, and enable features under test.
- Track and report verification progress using metrics such as bugs and coverage.
- Ensure verification methodology is scalable and portable across environments.
Requirements
Must-have skills and experience for CPU/SoC verification. Education requirements are listed separately below.
- Proven experience in CPU or SoC design verification at block/unit and subsystem/chip levels.
- Experience developing verification environments, testbenches, and coverage-driven verification.
- Strong debugging skills for simulation failures and regression management.
- Familiarity with verification tools: simulators, coverage collection, gate-level simulation, and waveform viewers.
- Ability to work independently on a block/unit and collaborate across teams.
- Experience writing test plans and portable verification components.
- Ability to develop and run regression suites and track DV metrics.
Nice-to-have:
- Deep knowledge of microprocessor features: cache coherence, memory ordering/consistency, prefetching, branch prediction, renaming, speculative execution, and address translation/MMU.
- Experience with Random Instruction Sequencing (RIS) and assembly-level test generation.
- Experience leading a small verification team.
- Familiarity with advanced techniques such as formal verification, assertions, and silicon bring-up.
Education Requirements
Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field with 6+ years of relevant experience; or Master's degree in those fields with 5+ years of relevant experience; or PhD in those fields with 4+ years of relevant experience. The posting also allows equivalent practical 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.
