GPU Physical Design Engineer

Apple; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Apple in Cambridge is looking for a skilled engineer to design and manufacture high-performance Graphics processors (GPUs). This role involves close collaboration with the Front-End team to understand chip architecture and drive optimal physical design.

Candidates should possess strong ASIC implementation skills and a degree in a relevant field. Apple emphasizes diversity and accessibility in its hiring practices, ensuring a supportive workplace for all applicants.

Qualifications

• Proven ability in ASIC implementation.
• Experience with power-gated designs.
• Knowledge of database management issues.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with Front-End team on chip architecture.
• Drive Physical Design construction and optimization.
• Manage design and flow issues related to physical design.

Skills

ASIC implementation

Synthesis

Physical Design

Floorplanning

Timing verification

Power distribution

Education

BSc/MSEE/M Eng/BEng or equivalent

Tools

Floor-planning tools

P&R flows

Physical Design Verification Flows

Job description

Summary

Do you love creating elegant solutions to highly complex challenges? Do you intrinsically see the importance in every detail? As part of our Silicon Technologies group, you will help design and manufacture our next-generation, high-performance, power-efficient Graphics processors (GPUs). You will ensure Apple products and services can seamlessly and expertly handle the tasks that make them beloved by millions. Joining this group means you will be crafting and building the technology that fuels Apple’s devices. Together, we enable our customers to do all the things they love with their devices. This role requires a mix of strategic engineering along with hands‑on, technical work. You will be responsible for implementing complete chip designs from RTL to tape‑out. Join us!

Description

Are you a confident problem solver who thrives under pressure to find new, creative solutions? Are you ready to help chart the future of Apple’s ecosystem? If so, we are excited to hear from you.

Responsibilities

• Work closely with the Front‑End team to understand chip architecture and drive physical aspects early in design cycle.
• Drive best‑in‑class Physical Design construction and optimization recipes for performance, power and Area (PPA).
• Collaborate to drive methodologies and “best known methods” to streamline PD work, come up with guidelines and checklists, drive execution and track progress.
• Be focal point for place and route drive the work among place and route engineers, set goals and breakthroughs, plan short and long‑term work, understand dependencies between different domains like top, STA, block Place & Route.
• Manage and resolve design and flow issues related to physical design, identify potential solutions and drive execution.

Minimum Qualifications

• BSc/MSEE/M Eng/BEng or equivalent is required.
• We value proven ability in all aspects of ASIC implementation including synthesis, DFT insertion, floorplanning, clock and power distribution, place & route and all aspects of timing, electrical and physical signoff.

Preferred Qualifications

• Work with Front‑End teams to understand the design architecture to drive optimal floorplanning and physical implementation through early RTL feedback.
• Use design knowledge and state‑of‑the‑art physical construction and optimization flow to push performance, power, and Area (PPA) of GPU designs.
• Experience with multi‑voltage, power‑gated and power retention will be an advantage.
• Your practical knowledge with hierarchical design approach, top‑down design, budgeting, timing and physical convergence will be an asset.
• Showcase your experience on integrating IP from both internal and external vendors and be able to specify and drive IP requirements in the physical domain.
• Your depth of expertise with large GPU designs (>20M gates) with frequencies in excess of 1GHz utilizing state‑of‑the‑art technologies will serve you well.
• We would like you to join our team if you have a detailed understanding of database management issues.
• From a CAD tool perspective, experience crafting floor‑planning tools, P&R flows, global timing verification and Physical Design Verification Flows is required.
• Familiar with various process‑related design issues including Design for Yield and Manufacturability, multi Vt strategies and thermal management.

At Apple, we’re not all the same. And that’s our greatest strength. We draw on the differences in who we are, what we’ve experienced and how we think. Because to create products that serve everyone, we believe in including everyone. Therefore, we’re committed to treating all applicants fairly and equally. As a registered Disability Confident employer, we will work with applicants to make any reasonable accommodations. Apple will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal backgrounds in a manner consistent with applicable law. Learn more

At Apple, we believe accessibility is a fundamental human right. You’ll find that idea reflected in everything here — in our culture, our benefits and our digital tools. By welcoming as many perspectives as possible, we help you build a career where you feel like you belong.

Learn about accessibility in Apple’s workplace

Role Number: 200627128‑1251