Physical Design Engineer

Job Title

Physical Design Engineer

Role Summary

The Physical Design Engineer will implement and optimize complex ASIC/SoC physical designs from synthesis through sign-off. You will work with logic design, verification, DFT and process technology teams to meet performance, power and area (PPA) targets while ensuring manufacturability and design integrity.

Experience Level

Mid-level. 2–5 years of relevant physical design experience preferred.

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities include:

• Perform floorplanning, placement, clock tree synthesis (CTS), routing and physical sign-off for ASIC/SoC designs.
• Run synthesis and static timing analysis (STA) and implement timing optimisations to meet PPA goals.
• Participate in power planning and analysis, addressing IR drop and electromigration.
• Ensure compliance with DRC, LVS and other physical verification checks.
• Integrate DFT structures with the physical implementation and collaborate with DFT engineers.
• Develop and maintain EDA tool flows for place & route, STA and sign-off.
• Work with RTL and architecture teams to provide physical-aware constraints and feasibility feedback.
• Use AI-assisted tools and automation to improve productivity and design quality.

Requirements

Must-have skills and experience:

• 2–5 years experience in physical design for advanced technology nodes (e.g., 7nm, 5nm or below).
• Practical experience with place & route, STA and sign-off flows and tools.
• Basic understanding of CMOS technology, semiconductor physics, and process limitations.
• Experience with timing closure, signal integrity considerations, and IR drop analysis.
• Strong problem-solving, communication and teamwork skills in a collaborative design environment.

Nice-to-have:

• Familiarity with Cadence Innovus, Synopsys Fusion Compiler, Mentor Graphics Calibre or similar EDA tools.
• Scripting skills (TCL, Perl, Python) for automation.
• Experience or coursework in HPC, AI accelerators, or networking chips.
• Exposure to formal verification methodologies.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a closely related technical field.

About the Company

Company: Fractile

Headquarters: London, UK

Fractile is on a mission to revolutionize AI by developing silicon, systems, and software that enable the fastest execution of advanced models at lower costs. Established in 2022, the company has rapidly expanded, fostering a collaborative culture in its London and Bristol offices. With a focus on innovation in ML/AI IC product development, Fractile combines hardware and software to deliver high-impact solutions for data center applications.