Advanced R&D - Physical Design Engineer

Kandou AI; Saint-Sulpice; On-site; CHF 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Kandou is seeking an Advanced R&D - Physical Design Engineer in Lausanne, Switzerland. You will translate designs into physical layouts for FinFET nodes, driving synthesis, floorplanning, CTS, and routing to meet strict PPA targets.

Applicants should have 5+ years in physical design, strong FinFET knowledge, and hands-on tape-out experience with low-power techniques. A collaborative, results-driven mindset is essential for success in this role.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands-on physical design experience focusing on synthesis, SDC constraints, CTS, and place and route.
• Deep CMOS/FinFET physics, crosstalk, and high-frequency clock network design.
• Proven experience taking blocks from netlist through physical implementation.
• Experience with low-power techniques (UPF, power gating) and tape-out for FinFET nodes.

Responsibilities

• Own block synthesis, floorplanning, placement optimization, CTS, and routing.
• Develop and refine SDC constraints to ensure design intent matches physical realization.
• Collaborate with the digital design team to resolve logic or architectural bottlenecks affecting P&R convergence.
• Generate progress reports, document implementation flows, and prepare sign-off packages for tape-out.

Skills

Synthesis

SDC constraints

CTS

Place and route

MCMM timing

Clock network

Python scripting

Tcl scripting

Tape-out experience

Bug fixing

Education

Masters or Ph.D. in E.E. or Communications

Tools

Cadence Genus/Innovus/Tempus

Synopsys Design Compiler/ICC2/Primetime

Calibre

Job description

At Kandou, we are redefining the economics of AI infrastructure. Our mission is to democratise AI by significantly reducing the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of hardware systems — a critical barrier to scalable adoption.

Our proprietary MIMO-over-copper technology powers a high-performance, chiplet-based AI memory fabric that is both scalable and energy-efficient. Unlike traditional interconnects, our solution reduces power consumption significantly while preserving high bandwidth and ultra-low latency — unlocking unprecedented efficiency for AI training and inference at scale.

Job title: Advanced R&D - Physical Design Engineer

Location : Lausanne, Switzerland

The Physical Design (PD) Engineer translates high-speed communication IP digital designs into physical GDSII layouts for advanced FinFET nodes. You will bridge logic design, owning block-to-chip implementation from netlist to final physical sign-off, ensuring PPA (Power, Performance, and Area) targets are met.

Immediate key objective

• Drive block-level physical implementation—covering synthesis, SDC constraints, floorplanning, placement, CTS, and routing—meeting strict frequency, area, and power targets.
• Execute timing closure across multiple corners and modes (MCMM) utilizing static timing analysis (STA) and generating targeted ECOs.
• Drive full physical verification closure sign-off in deep-submicron FinFET technologies.

Responsibility

• Own block synthesis, floorplanning, placement optimization, CTS, and routing.
• Develop and refine SDC constraints to ensure design intent matches physical realization.
• Collaborate with the digital design team to resolve logic or architectural bottlenecks affecting P&R convergence.
• Generate progress reports, document implementation flows, and prepare sign-off packages for tape-out.

Required Experience

• 5+ years of hands-on physical design experience focusing on synthesis, SDC constraints, CTS, and place and route for high-speed systems.
• Strong technical background in deep-submicron CMOS/FinFET physical effects, crosstalk, and high-frequency clock network design.
• Proven experience of taking complex blocks from netlist through successful physical implementation.
• Direct experience with advanced low-power implementation techniques (UPF, power gating).
• Proven tape-out experience in advanced FinFET nodes (e.g., 7nm, 5nm, or 3nm).
• Experience handling complex block-to-chip hierarchical assembly, pin placement, and top-level routing constraints..

Required Skills

• Expert proficiency with industry-standard implementation and sign-off tools (e.g., Cadence Genus/Innovus/Tempus or Synopsys Design Compiler/ICC2/PrimeTime, and Calibre).
• Deep understanding of SDC creation, and MCMM timing management.
• Strong scripting skills (Tcl, Python) for flow automation and design data analysis.
• Analytical mindset to debug congestion routing issues, and complex timing violations.
• Self-motivated with strong sense of ownership; effective communicator and team player

Required Education

• Masters or Ph.D. in E.E., Communications or other relevant fields

https://kandou.ai/