Staff Chip Design Engineer - AI

Cognichip; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 100,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A forward-thinking AI startup is seeking a Chip Design Engineer in Toronto, Ontario, to transform silicon design workflows. You'll work closely with ML and software teams, enhancing design through innovative chip methodologies. The ideal candidate has a Master's degree, 6-10 years in RTL design or verification, and proficiency in Verilog/SystemVerilog. Join a collaborative culture where your focus is on empowering customers in a fast-moving AI setting. Enjoy a hybrid work model with four days in-office and one day remote.

Qualifications

• 6-10 years of experience in RTL design or verification.
• Experience with digital design EDA tools.
• Comfortable working in a research-heavy, AI-oriented startup.

Responsibilities

• Partner with ML and Software teams to translate silicon constraints.
• Build and maintain benchmarks and evaluation infrastructure.
• Execute novel chip design methodologies from specs to bitstreams.

Skills

Proficiency in Verilog/SystemVerilog

Scripting languages like Python

Excellent communication skills

Consultative problem-solving mindset

Education

Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering

Tools

Digital design EDA tools such as AMD (Vivado)

Altera/Intel (Quartus)

Job description

At Cognichip, we're not just building AI; we're enabling our customers to harness the power of AI to transform their silicon design workflows. As a Chip Design Engineer , you'll be the crucial link between our groundbreaking Artificial Chip Intelligence (ACI) solutions and the design teams who will use them. You'll translate complex technical concepts into practical solutions, helping teams successfully adopt our solutions and unleash their creativity. If you thrive on solving technical challenges and empowering others to build the future, this is your stage.

What you'll do

• Partner with ML and Software teams as a key hardware domain expert, translating complex silicon constraints into actionable insights for model training and agentic design
• Build and maintain an ecosystem of benchmarks and evaluation infrastructure to measure and improve the quality of our tools
• Execute and refine novel chip design methodologies, from architectural specs to synthesized netlists to complete bitstreams to identify where AI can optimize the flow
• Generate and curate massive datasets of syntactic and semantic hardware code to improve model robustness
• Implement robust verification environments, writing the SystemVerilog/UVM testbenches and assertions with our tools that ensure our generated designs are correct-by-construction
• Apply AI to real-world problems. Serve as the primary technical point of contact for customers, providing expert guidance and support to help them integrate Cognichip ACI® solutions into their design flows.

What You Bring

• Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related field.
• 6-10 years of experience in RTL design, verification, or a combination of both, with a passion for customer-facing roles.
• Proficiency in Verilog/SystemVerilog and scripting languages like Python for automation
• Experience with digital design EDA tools such as AMD (Vivado), Altera/Intel (Quartus) ecosystems or ASIC physical design chains, including SoC and IP integrations
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a strong ability to translate complex technical information into clear, actionable guidance.
• A consultative, problem-solving mindset and a passion for helping others succeed.
• Comfortable working in a dynamic, research-heavy AI-oriented startup environment

Bonus Points

The following items are not required but are great bonuses:

• Personal projects showcasing innovation, creativity, and continuous learning
• Knowledge of open-source tools and contribution practices (Verilator, CocoTB, Yosys, OpenSTA, etc)
• Experience with multiple areas of chip flow (RTL design, validation, synthesis, physical design, etc) and with EDA tools and their application in real-world design flows.
• Demonstrated coursework or project experience in machine learning and/or deep learning
• Prior experience in a field application engineering or customer success role.

What it's like here

We’re a fast-moving AI startup with a collaborative, high-trust culture. You’ll work alongside top-tier engineers and scientists, but your primary focus will be on our customers—solving their hard problems and ensuring they can build the future of engineering. We value technical excellence, ownership, and the freedom to experiment. If you’re excited to empower a new generation of chip designers, you’ll feel right at home.

Logistics

This position is available in Toronto, Ontario. We believe a mindmeld between engineers and scientists leads to our professional growth and to great products. We have a hybrid schedule with four days in office, one day remote.

How to apply

Don’t meet every single requirement? Feel over-qualified? That’s okay—if you're excited about our mission, we’d still love to hear from you. We are growing fast and need a world class team of various experience levels.