Design Verification Engineer – GLS & Hardware Emulation

Semidynamics; Barcelona; Hybrid; EUR 48,000 - 64,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work

Barcelona office

Competitive package

Global exposure

Job summary

Semidynamics in Barcelona is seeking a Design Verification Engineer to support gate-level simulation and hardware emulation for our AI chip design teams. You will validate post-synthesis netlists, debug timing and reset issues, and enable large-scale emulation of SoC designs prior to tapeout.

This hands-on role requires close collaboration with RTL design, DFT, physical design and firmware teams, plus bringing up emulation models for pre-silicon software validation and performance profiling.

Qualifications

• 3+ years in ASIC/SoC design verification with gate-level simulation.

Responsibilities

• Set up, run, and debug GLS for functional, timing, and low-power verification.
• Support hardware emulation platforms (Veloce, Palladium, ZeBu) including bring-up and regression management.
• Debug RTL vs gate-level mismatches, timing violations, and clock/reset domain issues.
• Develop and maintain testbenches, scripts, and flows for GLS and emulation cycles.
• Collaborate with DFT to validate scan, ATPG, and BIST in GLS/emulation environments.
• Work with physical design/STA to resolve SDF annotation and back-annotated discrepancies.
• Bring up emulation models for pre-silicon software validation and profiling.
• Triage and root-cause simulation/emulation failures and track issues cross-functionally.
• Optimize runtimes and capacity for large SoC designs; document methodologies and known issues.

Skills

ASIC/SoC verification

Verilog/SystemVerilog

SDF timing

Emulation

Debugging

Education

Bachelor's or Master’s in Electrical/Computer Engineering

Tools

VCS

Xcelium

Questa

Palladium/ZeBu/Veloce

Job description

We are looking for a Design Verification Engineer to support gate-level simulation (GLS) and hardware emulation activities for our AI chip design and verification teams. In this role, you will help ensure silicon correctness by validating post-synthesis netlists, debugging timing and reset issues, and enabling large-scale emulation of SoC designs prior to tapeout. This is a hands-on role requiring close collaboration with RTL design, DFT, physical design, and firmware teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Set up, run, and debug gate-level simulations (GLS) for functional, timing (SDF back-annotated), and low-power verification across multiple design blocks and full-chip levels.
• Support hardware emulation platforms Siemens Veloce including design compilation, bring-up, debug, and regression management.
• Debug mismatches between RTL and gate-level simulation results, including X-propagation, timing violations, glitches, and clock/reset domain issues.
• Develop and maintain testbenches, scripts, and flows to automate GLS and emulation compile/run cycles.
• Collaborate with DFT engineers to validate scan, ATPG patterns, and BIST in gate-level and emulation environments.
• Work with physical design and STA teams to resolve SDF annotation, timing exceptions, and back-annotated simulation discrepancies.
• Bring up emulation models for pre-silicon software/firmware validation and performance profiling.
• Triage and root-cause simulation/emulation failures, track bugs, and drive issues to closure with cross-functional teams.
• Optimize simulation and emulation runtimes, capacity, and compile turnaround for large SoC designs.
• Maintain documentation of GLS/emulation methodologies, flows, and known issues.

Requirements

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field.
• 3+ years of experience in ASIC/SoC design verification, with direct exposure to gate-level simulation.
• Hands-on experience with at least one hardware emulation platform (Palladium, ZeBu, Veloce) or FPGA-based prototyping.
• Strong understanding of digital design fundamentals: clocking, reset strategies, low-power design (UPF/CPF), and STA concepts
• Proficiency with Verilog/SystemVerilog and simulation tools (e.g., VCS, Xcelium, Questa).
• Experience with SDF back-annotation and timing-accurate gate-level simulation
• Scripting skills in Perl, Python, or TCL for flow automation and debug.
• Familiarity with version control (Git/Perforce) and job scheduling systems (LSF/Grid).
• Strong debugging skills and ability to work independently on complex, ambiguous problems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with DFT flows (scan insertion, ATPG, MBIST) and their validation in GLS/emulation.
• Exposure to UVM-based verification methodologies.
• Experience bringing up firmware or software on emulation platforms.
• Familiarity with low-power verification (UPF-based simulation, power-aware GLS).
• Experience working on large multi-million gate SoC designs.
• Knowledge of physical design flows and their interaction with timing closure

Why Semidynamics?

• Work at one of Europe’s most promising deep-tech semiconductor start up - from silicon to systems - Semidynamics.
• Accelerated development path.
• 4 days per week in the Barcelona office (city center), 1 day WFH.
• 1 week of work from everywhere in the world.
• Competitive package.
• A collaborative, technical, and growth-oriented environment that values direct ownership and clear thinking.