VLSI Physical Design Engineer, Cores

Job Title

VLSI Physical Design Engineer, Cores

Role Summary

The VLSI Physical Design Engineer will act as a technical expert and lead for AMD's next-generation floating point unit and caches within the Cores organization. The role is focused on high-speed physical design, cross-site collaboration, and delivering CPU core blocks to silicon.

Position is based in Fort Collins, CO and supports AMD server, client and gaming CPU programs.

Experience Level

Senior-level; requires 8+ years of hardware design experience and demonstrated technical leadership.

Responsibilities

Lead and execute high-speed VLSI physical design tasks and coordinate across RTL and physical design teams.

• Provide technical leadership on deep-submicron high-speed block design (floating point unit and caches).
• Collaborate with RTL and physical designers across sites to optimize power, performance, area, and schedule.
• Perform chip-level floorplanning, bus/pin planning, placement optimization, routing, parasitic extraction and sign-off activities.
• Analyze timing (STA), IR drop, electromigration and physical verification issues and drive fixes to sign-off.
• Interpret complex Verilog RTL and implement minor changes for timing or power.
• Troubleshoot design and EDA tool problems; propose and deploy innovative solutions.
• Create technical presentations for peers and management and participate in design reviews.
• Mentor junior engineers and provide guidance on technical execution.

Requirements

Key technical and professional requirements. See Education Requirements below for degree expectation.

• Hands-on experience in high-speed VLSI physical design and sign-off flows.
• Strong understanding of computer architecture and hardware design trade-offs.
• Experience with clock tree synthesis, placement, optimization, routing, parasitic extraction, STA, IR drop analysis, electromigration, and physical verification.
• Ability to read and modify complex Verilog RTL for timing/power fixes.
• Knowledge of digital circuits including high-speed flops, synchronizers, level shifters, and SRAM.
• Proficiency with scripting/programming (Perl, C, Tcl or similar) for automation and tool-flow support.
• Strong analytical, written and verbal communication skills; self-motivated and deadline-driven.
• Position is not eligible for visa sponsorship (U.S. location).

Education Requirements

BS or MS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering (or similar field) required; plus 8+ years of hardware design experience.

About the Company

Company: Advanced Micro Devices

Headquarters: Sunnyvale, California, USA

Advanced Micro Devices, or AMD, is a global semiconductor company that designs and manufactures microprocessors, graphics processors, and related technologies for a variety of computing devices. Known for pushing the boundaries of innovation, AMD's mission is to deliver high-performance computing solutions for AI, data centers, gaming, and embedded applications. They foster a collaborative, inclusive culture focused on creativity and problem-solving, aiming to drive progress and excellence in technology.