Physical Design Engineer
QualcommJob Title
Physical Design Engineer
Role Summary
Own place-and-route (PNR) implementation for Qualcomm Hexagon NPU designs, focusing on floorplanning, placement, clock-tree synthesis, post-route optimization, and signoff. Work within the physical design team to meet timing, power, and layout requirements for advanced process nodes.
Experience Level
Senior - 8–12 years of experience in physical design and PNR flows, preferably on advanced nodes (4nm/5nm/7nm/10nm).
Responsibilities
Key responsibilities include:
- Take complete ownership of PNR implementation: floorplanning, placement, CTS, and post-route tasks.
- Drive signoff flows including STA, power analysis, formal/functional verification, and low-power verification.
- Optimize placement and clock-tree synthesis for timing, power, and congestion constraints.
- Identify and resolve PNR and signoff issues through analysis and tool/flow tuning.
- Develop and maintain automation and scripts to support flows (Perl/TCL) on Unix/Linux.
- Collaborate with design verification, power, and PDN teams to achieve performance and power targets.
Requirements
Must-have skills and experience:
- 8–12 years of hands-on experience with PNR flows on advanced process nodes (4nm/5nm/7nm/10nm).
- Proven experience in floorplanning, placement, CTS, and post-route optimization.
- Signoff expertise: STA, power analysis, formal verification, and low-power verification; familiarity with LEC/CLP/PDN concepts.
- Strong knowledge of placement/CTS optimization techniques and timing closure methodologies.
- Unix/Linux proficiency and scripting experience (Perl, TCL).
- Analytical problem-solving skills and ability to own end-to-end PNR delivery.
Nice-to-have:
- Experience working on Hexagon NPU or similar accelerator architectures.
Education Requirements
Not specified.
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.
