RTL Performance Analysis Architect
QualcommJob Title
RTL Performance Analysis Architect
Role Summary
Join the Infrastructure RTL Analysis and Optimization (I-RAO) team to perform RTL- and pre-silicon performance analysis of infrastructure IP for Snapdragon-based SoCs (mobile, automotive, XR/VR, server, AI). The role covers architectural exploration, microarchitectural analysis, RTL correlation, bottleneck identification, and production-hardware tuning across memory controllers, caches, MMUs, interconnects, PCIe/CXL, compression IPs, and related infrastructure.
Experience Level
Mid-level — typical experience range 2–10 years in digital design, performance analysis, or verification; minimum experience expectations are summarized in Education Requirements.
Responsibilities
Primary responsibilities include pre-silicon and RTL performance analysis, workload development, and cross-team collaboration to improve infrastructure IP performance.
- Characterize representative workloads and use cases to find system-level performance bottlenecks across CPUs, GPUs, multimedia engines, SMMUs, CXL, NoCs, cache and memory controllers.
- Collaborate with architects, designers, and modelers to evaluate and propose enhancements to memory controllers, last-level caches, interconnects, and related IPs.
- Analyze power-and-performance tradeoffs and recommend architectural or microarchitectural improvements.
- Define targeted pre-silicon performance analysis strategies and test plans to expose bottlenecks early.
- Develop simulation-scale workloads, monitors, and analysis flows for SystemVerilog/UVM-based pre-silicon environments.
Requirements
Must-have technical skills and attributes; preferred items listed separately.
- Strong foundation in computer architecture and microarchitecture with analytical problem-solving ability.
- Experience investigating performance and microarchitectural behavior in complex hardware blocks (memory controllers, CPUs, GPUs, NoCs, or multimedia subsystems).
- Ability to identify system-level performance bottlenecks, develop evidence-based hypotheses, and present actionable recommendations.
- Proficiency with SystemVerilog/UVM and scripting/automation using Python or Perl.
- Effective communication and collaboration skills for working with global architecture, design, modeling, and verification teams.
Nice-to-have
- Experience with LPDDR/DDR protocols, AMBA, Arm architectures, cache coherency, CXL, PCIe, MMUs, compression technologies, or interconnect design.
- Demonstrated technical leadership (patents, publications, or high-impact engineering contributions).
- Experience translating system performance use cases into workloads, metrics, and pre-silicon analysis plans.
Education Requirements
Degree and experience combinations required: Bachelor’s in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or a related field plus 4+ years of systems engineering or related experience; OR Master’s in those fields plus 3+ years; OR PhD in those fields plus 2+ years. Equivalent related work experience consistent with these combinations is accepted.
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.
