SoC FPGA Prototyping Engineer

Job Title

SoC FPGA Prototyping Engineer

Role Summary

Work as an Emulation Engineer to develop, test, and optimize emulation and FPGA models for pre-silicon validation and post-silicon software development of SoCs. The role involves building and debugging hardware/software collateral, improving prototyping platform usability, and driving automation to increase emulation efficiency.

Experience Level

Senior - typically requires multiple years of hands-on experience in FPGA prototyping, emulation, or RTL development (guidance: ~6–7+ years of relevant industry experience).

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities include developing FPGA/emulation flows, debugging, and enabling software and verification teams.

• Develop emulation and FPGA models using synthesis, partitioning, and routing tools.
• Create, integrate, test, and debug hardware/software collateral for simulation, emulation, and FPGA platforms.
• Improve usability of emulation and prototyping platforms for pre-silicon verification and post-silicon validation.
• Debug RTL failures and support verification teams to optimize test suites and methodologies for emulation efficiency.
• Collaborate across design, validation, and software teams to support IP and SoC bring-up.
• Design and apply automation flows, scripts, and tools to improve productivity and emulation utilization.
• Use hybrid emulation environments combining virtual platforms and FPGA models to expand testing capabilities.

Requirements

Required and preferred technical skills and work expectations. Education details are summarized separately below.

• Must-have: High signal-level debugging expertise in complex simulation and lab environments.
• Must-have: Proficiency in Verilog and/or VHDL for FPGA design and development.
• Must-have: Hands-on experience with FPGA tools such as Xilinx Vivado, Intel Quartus, proFPGA CS VPS or equivalent.
• Must-have: Practical experience in FPGA prototyping, emulation, or RTL development and in building/debugging HW-SW collateral.
• Must-have: Strong debugging skills with tools like logic analyzers or Chipscope.
• Must-have: Experience designing or using automation flows, scripts, and tools to improve emulation productivity.
• Must-have: Willingness to work across geographies and occasional inconvenient time zones.
• Must-have: Practical familiarity with AI tools and related usage-level workflows.
• Nice-to-have: Familiarity with AXI, PCIe, USB or other industry-standard protocols.
• Nice-to-have: Scripting skills (Python, TCL or similar) for automation.
• Nice-to-have: Experience with CPUs, GPUs, complex fabrics, or graphics chips.
• Nice-to-have: Strong cross-domain collaboration and problem-solving skills.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field with 7+ years of relevant experience; or a Master’s degree with 6+ years of relevant experience. Fields: Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related technical disciplines. (This job posting specifies degree-plus-years as the baseline.)

About the Company

Company: Intel Corporation

Headquarters: Santa Clara, California, USA

Intel Corporation is a leading multinational technology company known for its innovative semiconductor solutions, including microprocessors, artificial intelligence accelerators, and memory products. Headquartered in the United States, Intel focuses on cutting-edge technology and a collaborative working environment, driving advancements in semiconductor manufacturing to meet global demands. The company emphasizes professional development and aims to shape the future of technology through groundbreaking designs.