Staff Engineer, Physical Design
TenstorrentJob Title
Staff Engineer, Physical Design
Role Summary
Implement high-performance blocks for Tenstorrent's CPU and AI/ML architectures and own the full physical implementation flow from synthesis through tapeout. Work closely with architecture, RTL and IP teams to meet performance, power and area targets.
This is a hybrid role based in Austin, TX; Santa Clara, CA; or Fort Collins, CO.
Experience Level
Senior (Staff). Candidates will be assessed during interviews and final level and offer may be adjusted based on experience; strong SOC/ASIC tapeout experience is expected.
Responsibilities
Primary responsibilities focus on end-to-end physical design implementation and signoff.
- Own synthesis, placement & routing, timing closure, and final signoff for high-performance blocks.
- Develop and optimize flows and scripts to meet PPA targets on advanced process nodes.
- Collaborate with RTL, architecture and IP teams to define and deliver physical design requirements.
- Debug and resolve complex timing, power, power-delivery and layout issues across design hierarchies.
- Apply low-power techniques such as power gating, multi-Vt and voltage scaling.
- Contribute to flow automation and tooling improvements to increase quality and throughput.
Requirements
Must-have technical skills and hands-on experience.
- Proven track record of hands-on physical design work on taped-out SOC/ASIC designs.
- Practical experience with synthesis, place & route, timing closure and signoff flows.
- Experience with industry-standard tools such as Innovus, PrimeTime, RedHawk, or equivalents.
- Proficiency in scripting for flow automation (Tcl, Perl, Python).
- Deep understanding of advanced-node physical design challenges and implementation techniques.
- Ability to drive physical design requirements from early architecture through final signoff.
- Strong debugging and problem-solving skills across multiple design domains.
- Nice-to-have: prior work on AI accelerators, high-performance CPUs, or chiplet-based architectures.
- Employment contingent on eligibility to access U.S. export-controlled technology; may require U.S. citizenship, permanent residency, or prior government license.
Education Requirements
BS, MS, or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Electronic/Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field (BS/MS/PhD in EE/ECE/CE/CS).
About the Company
Company: Tenstorrent
Headquarters: Austin, Texas, United States
Tenstorrent is a technology company focused on designing innovative computing solutions. They are known for their expertise in the development of advanced hardware, including ASICs and SoCs, aimed at enhancing performance and efficiency in various applications.
