CPU Physical Design Engineer - Cork, Ireland

Qualcomm; Cork; On-site; EUR 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary, stock, and performance-related bonus

Maternity/Paternity Leave

Employee stock purchase scheme

Matching pension scheme

Education Assistance

Life, Medical, Income, and Travel Insurance

Subsidised memberships for physical and mental well-being

Bicycle purchase scheme

Job summary

A leading tech company in Cork is seeking a Physical Design Engineer to drive high-performance, low-power product designs. The role requires collaboration with cross-functional teams and innovation in physical design methodologies. Candidates should have at least 7 years of experience in physical design, strong knowledge of the entire PD flow from netlist to GDS, and excellent communication skills. The position offers competitive salary, benefits, and requires onsite work five days a week.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of relevant experience in Physical Design.
• Strong knowledge of PD flow from netlist to GDS.
• Experience in advanced technology nodes (7nm and below).

Responsibilities

• Develop and verify high performance CPU designs.
• Research innovative methodologies for pushing PPA limits.
• Align with teams on PPA improvement targets.

Skills

Knowledge of computer architecture

Physical design verification

Low power design techniques

Automation skills using Perl and TCL

Education

Bachelor's degree in Science or Engineering

Master's degree in Science or Engineering

PhD in Science or Engineering

Tools

Physical design tools

STA tools

Power analysis tools

Job description

Company:

QT Technologies Ireland Limited

Job Area:

Engineering Group, Engineering Group > ASICS Engineering

General Summary:

As a Qualcomm Physical Design Engineer, you will work in multiple steps of physical implementation and sign-off for a variety of high‑performance, high‑quality, low‑power world‑class products. You will collaborate with cross‑functional teams to ensure high standards of performance, power and area, contributing to the successful execution of product development. Qualcomm is actively seeking candidates for physical design engineering positions at our Cork, Ireland location. You will be part of a global team that will drive and execute on all phases of the complete physical implementation for the next generation of premium‑tier Snapdragon SOCs in bleeding‑edge technologies.

*Please note this role will require 5 days per week onsite in our Cork office*

You Will:

• Apply knowledge of computer architecture, micro‑architecture, logic design, circuits, and/or physical design to develop and verify high performance and low power CPU designs.
• Work on the physical implementation from floorplan to GDS for high‑speed complex designs with aggressive PPA targets for CPU designs.
• Take part in the research of innovative methodologies for pushing the PPA limits for future gen CPU in physical design, including the development of new flows and methodologies.
• Work with cross‑functional teams on understanding the design in context of physical implementation, timing closure and power optimisation.
• Demonstrate good understanding of and conducts research on industry trends and innovations in physical design to ensure solutions and deliverables align with best practices.
• Perform complex analyses using statistics and data predictions to track benchmarks and identify issues or areas for improvement.
• Work across teams to align on important areas of PPA improvement and ensure targets are met; ensures designs are innovative and compatible with highest standards.

We Would Love To See:

• 7+ years of relevant experience in Physical Design in the area of CPU designs.
• Evaluates the design process from conceptualisation to productisation (i.e., architecture definition, feasibility, pre‑silicon design and verification, and post‑silicon validation) that meet customer and industry standards.
• Writes detailed technical documentation (e.g., feature descriptions, architectural descriptions, verification test plans, and implementation details, etc.) for CPU designs.
• Very strong knowledge of entire PD flow from netlist to GDS (Floorplanning, Power planning, Placement/CTS/Routing and corresponding optimisation steps).
• Hands‑on experience and knowledge of tools for physical design implementation in advanced technologies nodes (7nm and below).
• Good expertise in CLP/FV front end.
• Expertise in clock tree synthesis (CTS) for high‑speed and low‑power designs.
• Excellent understanding of STA and timing closure methodologies, including trade‑offs for congestion/routing/power.
• Good understanding of power analysis and power integrity analysis.
• Comfortable with Physical Verification and DRC closure.
• Expert in automation skills using Perl and TCL and able to develop/support flows related to physical design.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work in a multi‑disciplinary, fast‑paced engineering environment.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Science, Engineering, or related field and 4+ years of ASIC design, verification, validation, integration, or related work experience.
• Master's degree in Science, Engineering, or related field and 3+ years of ASIC design, verification, validation, integration, or related work experience.
• PhD in Science, Engineering, or related field and 2+ years of ASIC design, verification, validation, integration, or related work experience.
• *References to a particular number of years experience are for indicative purposes only. Applications from candidates with equivalent experience will be considered, provided that the candidate can demonstrate an ability to fulfil the principal duties of the role and possesses the required competencies.*

Where you will be working:

Cork has a proud reputation as Ireland's second largest economic engine and is now one of the Top 20 location choices in Europe with 39,000 people being employed by over 170 overseas companies. There's a growing diversity in the region with people from many nationalities relocating to Cork, relishing the opportunity to work and live in a location that offers an excellent quality of life. A gateway to Europe, Cork airport provides access to almost 50 international destinations including transatlantic air routes.

Equal Opportunities:

We are an Equal Opportunity employer; all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any protected classification.

What’s On Offer:

• Salary, stock and performance related bonus
• Maternity/Paternity Leave
• Employee stock purchase scheme
• Matching pension scheme
• Education Assistance
• Relocation and immigration support (if needed)
• Life, Medical, Income and Travel Insurance
• Subsidised memberships for physical and mental well‑being
• Bicycle purchase scheme
• Employee run clubs, including, running, football, chess, badminton + many more

Qualcomm Policy Statements:

Qualcomm expects its employees to abide by all applicable policies and procedures, including but not limited to security and other requirements regarding protection of Company confidential information and other confidential and/or proprietary information, to the extent those requirements are permissible under applicable law.

Contact:

If you would like more information about this role, please contact Qualcomm Careers.