Senior Staff Engineer, Physical Design - NoC

SiFive; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 4,000,000 - 7,000,000; Full time

Job summary

SiFive is seeking a Senior Staff Physical Design Engineer (NoC/Uncore) to own the implementation of massive high‑bandwidth interconnects across multiple products from RTL to GDSII. You will drive co‑design across architecture, RTL, and PD to achieve high performance and power efficiency using advanced nodes.

The role requires deep backend expertise, NoC/Uncore experience, and the ability to influence top‑level architecture while mentoring others.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of hands-on experience in physical design implementation.
• Understanding of design, architecture and PPA tradeoffs is a plus.
• Cross-Abstraction-Layer Expertise across architecture, RTL and PD to optimize PPA.
• NoC/Uncore expertise in massive interconnects and memory subsystems.

Responsibilities

• Lead NoC implementation: full physical design for NoC and Uncore subsystems.
• Drive cross‑abstraction‑layer co‑design with Architecture/RTL/PD.
• Tackle NoC bottlenecks, timing closure and clock distribution on large die areas.
• Architectural floorplanning, macro placement, and pin assignments for data flow.
• Optimize for aggressive PPA targets across multiple product lines.
• Collaborate with architecture, RTL, and power teams to drive design closure.
• Improve physical design flows and tooling for hierarchical implementation.
• Mentor junior engineers and promote design excellence.

Skills

NoC/Uncore expertise

NoC architectures

PPA optimization

Cross-Abstraction-Layer understanding

RTL reading

Mentorship

Education

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

Tools

Synopsys tools

Cadence tools

Job description

About SiFive

SiFive is the pioneer who introduced RISC‑V to the world, transforming the future of compute by bringing the limitless potential of RISC‑V to the highest performance and most data‑intensive applications. SiFive’s unrivaled compute platforms enable leading technology companies to innovate, optimize, and deliver advanced solutions across every market segment of chip design, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, automotive, data center, mobile, and consumer. With SiFive, the future of RISC‑V has no limits.

Job Description

About the Role

As a Sr Staff Physical Design Engineer (NoC/Uncore), you will own and drive the implementation of massive, high‑bandwidth interconnects and Uncore subsystems across multiple products from RTL to GDSII. You will be responsible for implementing and collaborating on the co‑design of PPA‑optimized solutions, focusing on achieving high performance and power efficiency using the latest technology nodes. While your primary focus will be physical design, this role requires you to operate fluidly across design‑abstraction layers. You will act as a crucial bridge between architecture, RTL, and implementation, relying on deep backend expertise and system‑level understanding to influence top‑level architecture and micro‑architecture. Your work will directly impact the scalability, bandwidth, and quality of our IP, in addition to implementation PPA.

Responsibilities

• Lead NoC Implementation: Drive the complete physical design implementation for complex NoC and Uncore sub‑systems, including synthesis, place & route, and signoff.
• Drive Cross‑Abstraction‑Layer Co‑Design: Go beyond standard physical design implementation by actively engaging in Architecture/RTL/PD co‑design. Understand the IP micro‑architecture deeply enough to suggest RTL modifications, pipeline strategies, or architectural tweaks that resolve physical bottlenecks early.
• Solve NoC‑Specific Challenges: Tackle complex physical bottlenecks unique to interconnects, long‑distance timing closure, repeater/pipeline‑stage insertion, and top‑level clock distribution/methodology across massive die areas.
• Architectural Floorplanning: Drive top‑level floorplanning, macro placement, hierarchical partitioning, and pin assignments to optimize data flow between CPU cores, accelerators, and memory boundaries.
• Aggressive PPA Optimization: Optimize implementation for aggressive PPA goals, managing trade‑offs and optimizing design points for various high‑performance product lines.
• Cross‑Functional Leadership: Collaborate heavily with architecture, RTL, and power teams to drive co‑design closure. Influence micro‑architecture decisions early in the design cycle to prevent physical bottlenecks.
• Drive Methodology: Architect, support, and significantly improve physical design flows, automation, and methodology for top‑level integration and hierarchical implementation across multiple technology nodes.
• Mentorship: Act as a technical pillar within the team, mentoring junior engineers and leading by example in driving process efficiency and design excellence.

Requirements

• 10+ years of hands‑on experience in physical design implementation.
• Understanding of design, architecture and PPA tradeoffs is a plus.
• Cross‑Abstraction‑Layer Expertise (Highly Desired): A strong understanding of digital logic design, NoC micro‑architecture, and system‑level data flow is a major plus. Comfortable reading RTL and engineering across abstraction layers to drive PPA optimization through architecture/design/implementation co‑design.
• NoC/Uncore Expertise: Proven experience in physical design implementation of massive interconnects, coherent hubs, or complex memory subsystems. Familiarity with NoC architectures and the physical implications of high‑bandwidth bus routing.
• Hierarchical Mastery: Deep expertise in top‑level physical integration, hierarchical P&R methodologies, and global timing closure.
• Advanced Problem Solving: Proven ability to optimize for aggressive PPA targets using advanced physical design techniques, accompanied by a detail‑oriented mindset and clear communication skills.
• Tool Proficiency: Hands‑on knowledge of RTL to GDS implementation with Synopsys and/or Cadence synthesis, PnR and signoff implementation tools.
• Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s in Electrical or Computer Engineering.

Why Join Us?

Be part of the RISC‑V movement and help define the future of computing architecture. Work on industry‑leading IP adopted by top customers and shipped in high volumes worldwide. Collaborate with world‑class engineers in a supportive, fast‑paced, learning environment. Enjoy a culture that values innovation, ownership, and technical excellence. Our large IP portfolio offers opportunities to engineer solutions across multiple IPs and product families over time.

Additional Information

This position requires a successful background and reference checks and satisfactory proof of your right to work in India. Any offer of employment for this position is also contingent on Company verifying that you are an authorized user for access to export‑controlled technology under applicable export control laws or, if you are not already authorized, our ability to successfully obtain any necessary export license(s) or other approvals.

SiFive is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Championed by leaders who chose to make a real difference, SiFive led the RISC‑V revolution—creating a tremendous wave with the strength to remove economic hurdles and create opportunities for all. Now that we’ve made history, you have the opportunity to write the future. If you love to be challenged, you can join the best of the best and get rewarded for doing something that truly matters.