SoC Thermal Engineer
QualcommJob Title
SoC Thermal Engineer
Role Summary
Design and execute SoC- and system-level thermal analysis and measurement methods to identify thermal risks and drive mitigation across product development for mobile, laptop, automotive and VR platforms.
The role sits in Hardware Engineering and works with architecture, silicon validation, packaging, and system teams to deliver power/thermal performance improvements and post-silicon thermal tuning.
Experience Level
Mid-level — typically requires around 3+ years of relevant hardware/thermal engineering experience (see Education Requirements for formal degree + experience combinations).
Responsibilities
Provide thermal engineering support across the product lifecycle and for post-silicon validation.
- Develop and maintain SoC/package/system thermal analysis methodologies and scalable processes.
- Perform SoC-level thermal analysis to inform architecture, product specs, and Power-Performance-Area-Thermal trade-offs.
- Predict and improve thermally constrained benchmark scores (e.g., AnTuTu, Geekbench) and advise mitigation strategies.
- Characterize and measure thermal behavior on post-silicon platforms, including infrared imaging and thermal measurement techniques.
- Recommend and validate thermal mitigation and power-management strategies with cross-functional teams.
- Build or extend software tools and scripts to automate thermal analysis and reporting.
Requirements
Core technical skills and domain knowledge required for day-to-day work.
- Strong analytical skills and mathematical modeling ability for thermal problems.
- Practical knowledge of heat transfer mechanisms and CFD applied to electronics cooling.
- Experience with SoC stack-up and SoC thermal analysis workflows.
- Proficiency in scripting (Python required; PERL experience preferred) to develop analysis tools and automation.
- Proficiency with thermal analysis tools such as Ansys Icepak or Flotherm.
- Experience in post-silicon thermal validation and tuning on real platforms.
- Ability to collaborate across architecture, silicon validation, packaging, and system teams.
- Nice-to-have: exposure to machine learning algorithms/frameworks; experience with advanced thermal measurement systems.
Education Requirements
Bachelor's in Computer Science, Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Engineering, or related field with 3+ years relevant experience; or Master’s in the same fields with 2+ years; or PhD in the same fields with 1+ year of relevant experience. Related technical degrees acceptable as noted in the source.
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.
