SoC Power/Limits Architect
QualcommJob Title
SoC Power/Limits Architect
Role Summary
Design and architect SoC limits management solutions that balance performance with electrical and thermal constraints. The role sits on the hardware power team and requires early lifecycle involvement to align hardware IP, firmware, and system software with product requirements.
Experience Level
Mid-level. Typical expectation is multiple years of ASIC-related experience (see Education Requirements for degree-adjusted experience thresholds).
Responsibilities
Primary responsibilities focus on defining limits management, telemetry, mitigation strategies, and validating those approaches on silicon.
- Define SoC limits management by integrating hardware triggers, firmware policies, and software mitigations to protect silicon health.
- Standardize mitigation features across IP and hardware blocks (Power Telemetry, Estimators, Droop Detectors).
- Drive evolution of sensing IPs (voltage, current, temperature) and trigger mechanisms to address increasing current densities.
- Specify real-time telemetry requirements and performance-impact profiles for mitigation strategies.
- Lead cross-functional teams to reach consensus on feature ROI and architectural tradeoffs.
- Oversee post-silicon validation and ensure correlation between pre-silicon models/simulations and measured silicon power behavior.
Requirements
Must-have technical skills and domain experience.
- Significant ASIC design, verification, validation, or integration experience (6+ years typical; see Education Requirements for degree-based adjustments).
- Experience with power management and low-power design methodologies.
- Strong C/C++ skills for architectural modeling and firmware prototyping.
- Proficiency with Python for data analysis, performance profiling, and automation.
- Practical experience with telemetry and sensing IPs and designing trigger/mitigation mechanisms.
- Experience with post-silicon validation and correlating power measurements to models and simulations.
- Ability to lead cross-functional teams and communicate technical tradeoffs clearly.
Education Requirements
Degree and equivalent-experience options are stated: Bachelor's degree in Science, Engineering, or related field (including Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science) with ~4+ years of relevant ASIC experience; OR Master’s degree in Science/Engineering or related field (including Electronics or Computer Engineering) with ~3+ years; OR PhD in a related field with ~2+ years. The posting also accepts equivalent practical experience and advanced degrees with focus on computer architecture and power/performance analysis.
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.
