IP Design Architect

754 Altera Semiconductor Technology (M) Sdn. Bhd.; Penang; On-site; MYR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

A multinational semiconductor company is seeking an experienced FPGA Engineer to develop and optimize FPGA solutions. The role involves hands-on design and architecture tasks, problem-solving, and cross-functional collaboration. Candidates should possess advanced degrees in Electrical or Computer Engineering and significant experience in FPGA development.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in FPGA/ASIC design, development, or architecture.
• Strong knowledge of FPGA architectures and digital design principles.
• Proficient in programming languages relevant to FPGA design.

Responsibilities

• Develops and drives end-to-end architecture for FPGAs.
• Performs top-down architectural analysis of FPGA core components.
• Collaborates with cross-functional teams to improve overall design.

Skills

FPGA architecture

VLSI

Digital Design

Python

Verilog/SystemVerilog

DSP algorithms

Problem-Solving

Education

Master’s or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering

Bachelor’s with extensive experience

Tools

FPGA development tools

Simulation tools

FPGA debugging tools

Job description

Develops and drives end-to-end architecture for highly optimized, modular, and scalable FPGAs and FPGA SoC products.

Performs top-down architectural analysis of FPGA core components such as programmable logic, routing, DSP units, memory banks, reconfigurable clocking, and configuration subsystems.

Ensures and supports interoperability of hardware and software throughout the product life cycle.

Creates and reviews functional and design specifications for FPGA subsystems and provides trade-off analysis and design options based on hardware and system features, IP integration and fabric requirements, interoperability of hardware and software, and regulatory and compliance requirements.

Invents, conceptualizes, and specifies microarchitecture and architectural features to deliver optimized FPGA solutions for high-performance and power-optimized products.

Develops testing approach and preliminary test plans for new architectures/features for FPGA, performs functional modeling simulations, gate-level simulations, and conducts analysis of test results using advanced statistics and data predictions for benchmarking performance and determining areas for improvement.

Provides experimental/proof-of-concept changes for proposing design alternatives meeting performance, power, area, and timing constraints.

Reviews, challenges, and influences cross-functional roadmaps, and defines technology targets for future FPGA solutions.

Collaborates with architects as well as design, system, verification, and manufacturing engineers to improve the overall design for FPGA and overcome constraints.

Qualifications:

1. Education

Master’s or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field (Bachelor’s with extensive experience is also acceptable).

Strong academic background in VLSI, Computer Architecture, and Digital Design.

2. Technical Skills

Strong knowledge of FPGA architectures

Experience defining scalable and reusable IP architectures for FPGA-based designs.

Deep understanding of clocking, reset strategies, and multi-clock domain designs.

Experience with low-latency, high-throughput, and power-efficient architectures.

RTL Design & FPGA Development

Expertise in Verilog/SystemVerilog and VHDL for FPGA-based IP development.

Experience with FPGA-optimized microarchitecture design, including pipelining, state machines, and parallel processing.

Strong knowledge of floating-point and fixed-point arithmetic, DSP algorithms, and hardware acceleration.

FPGA IP Integration & High-Speed Interfaces

Deep understanding of high-speed serial interfaces (PCIe, Ethernet, JESD204, CPRI, ORAN and etc).

Experience with memory interfaces (DDR4, HBM, LPDDR, GDDR) and FPGA memory controllers.

Strong knowledge of AMBA protocols (AXI, AHB, APB) and custom bus architectures.

Synthesis, Timing, and Hardware Optimization

Expertise in FPGA synthesis, place & route, and static timing analysis (STA).

Experience optimizing Power, Performance, and Area (PPA) trade-offs in FPGA designs.

Knowledge of HLS (High-Level Synthesis) for FPGA-accelerated designs

Simulation, Verification & Debugging

Experience with simulation tools

Knowledge of formal verification, assertion-based verification (SVA), and FPGA debugging tools (ILA, SignalTap, Chipscope).

Scripting & Automation

Proficiency in Python, TCL, or Perl for FPGA design flow automation.

Experience with Linux shell scripting and FPGA build automation.

3. Experience & Industry Knowledge

10+ years of experience in FPGA/ASIC design, development, or architecture.

Experience working with military, aerospace, automotive, or data center FPGA applications is a plus.

Familiarity with HPC, AI/ML acceleration, or software-defined radio (SDR) architectures is beneficial.

Knowledge of safety-critical design standards (DO-254, ISO 26262, or IEC 61508) is a plus.

Technical Leadership: Ability to mentor engineers, review designs, and define FPGA IP strategies.

Problem-Solving: Strong debugging skills for FPGA timing, functionality, and performance issues.

Communication: Ability to document and present FPGA IP architectures to internal teams and customers.

Collaboration: Experience working with software, verification, and hardware teams.

Job Type:

Regular

Job Details:

Job Description:

• Develops and drives end-to-end architecture for highly optimized, modular, and scalable FPGAs and FPGA SoC products.

• Performs top-down architectural analysis of FPGA core components such as programmable logic, routing, DSP units, memory banks, reconfigurable clocking, and configuration subsystems.

• Ensures and supports interoperability of hardware and software throughout the product life cycle.

• Creates and reviews functional and design specifications for FPGA subsystems and provides trade-off analysis and design options based on hardware and system features, IP integration and fabric requirements, interoperability of hardware and software, and regulatory and compliance requirements.

• Invents, conceptualizes, and specifies microarchitecture and architectural features to deliver optimized FPGA solutions for high-performance and power-optimized products.

• Develops testing approach and preliminary test plans for new architectures/features for FPGA, performs functional modeling simulations, gate-level simulations, and conducts analysis of test results using advanced statistics and data predictions for benchmarking performance and determining areas for improvement.

• Provides experimental/proof-of-concept changes for proposing design alternatives meeting performance, power, area, and timing constraints.

• Reviews, challenges, and influences cross-functional roadmaps, and defines technology targets for future FPGA solutions.

• Collaborates with architects as well as design, system, verification, and manufacturing engineers to improve the overall design for FPGA and overcome constraints.

Qualifications:

1. Education

• Master’s or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field (Bachelor’s with extensive experience is also acceptable).

• Strong academic background in VLSI, Computer Architecture, and Digital Design.

2. Technical Skills

FPGA Architecture & System-Level Expertise

• Strong knowledge of FPGA architectures

• Experience defining scalable and reusable IP architectures for FPGA-based designs.

• Deep understanding of clocking, reset strategies, and multi-clock domain designs.

• Experience with low-latency, high-throughput, and power-efficient architectures.

RTL Design & FPGA Development

• Expertise in Verilog/SystemVerilog and VHDL for FPGA-based IP development.

• Experience with FPGA-optimized microarchitecture design, including pipelining, state machines, and parallel processing.

• Strong knowledge of floating-point and fixed-point arithmetic, DSP algorithms, and hardware acceleration.

FPGA IP Integration & High-Speed Interfaces

• Deep understanding of high-speed serial interfaces (PCIe, Ethernet, JESD204, CPRI, ORAN and etc).

• Experience with memory interfaces (DDR4, HBM, LPDDR, GDDR) and FPGA memory controllers.

• Strong knowledge of AMBA protocols (AXI, AHB, APB) and custom bus architectures.

Synthesis, Timing, and Hardware Optimization

• Expertise in FPGA synthesis, place & route, and static timing analysis (STA).

• Experience optimizing Power, Performance, and Area (PPA) trade-offs in FPGA designs.

• Knowledge of HLS (High-Level Synthesis) for FPGA-accelerated designs

Simulation, Verification & Debugging

• Experience with simulation tools

• Knowledge of formal verification, assertion-based verification (SVA), and FPGA debugging tools (ILA, SignalTap, Chipscope).

Scripting & Automation

• Proficiency in Python, TCL, or Perl for FPGA design flow automation.

• Experience with Linux shell scripting and FPGA build automation.

3. Experience & Industry Knowledge

• 10+ years of experience in FPGA/ASIC design, development, or architecture.

• Experience working with military, aerospace, automotive, or data center FPGA applications is a plus.

• Familiarity with HPC, AI/ML acceleration, or software-defined radio (SDR) architectures is beneficial.

• Knowledge of safety-critical design standards (DO-254, ISO 26262, or IEC 61508) is a plus.

4. Soft Skills & Leadership

• Technical Leadership: Ability to mentor engineers, review designs, and define FPGA IP strategies.

• Problem-Solving: Strong debugging skills for FPGA timing, functionality, and performance issues.

• Communication: Ability to document and present FPGA IP architectures to internal teams and customers.

• Collaboration: Experience working with software, verification, and hardware teams.

Job Type:

Regular

Shift:

Shift 1 (Malaysia)

Primary Location:

Penang 15

Additional Locations:

Posting Statement:

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, religious creed, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, military and veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, gender, gender expression, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by local law, regulation, or ordinance.

Altera, an Intel Company, provides leadership programmable solutions that are easy-to-use and deploy in applications from cloud to edge, offering limitless AI possibilities. Ourend-to-endbroad portfolio of products including FPGAs, CPLDs, Intellectual Property, development tools, System on Modules, SmartNICs and IPUs provide the flexibility to accelerate innovation. Altera is helping to shape the future through pioneering innovation that unlocks extraordinary possibilities for everyone on the planet.

Don't see the dream job you are looking for?

Click "Get Started" below to drop off your contact information and resume and we will reach out to you if we find the perfect fit.