ASIC Physical Design Engineer - Bitcoin Mining

Block; San Francisco (CA); Remote; USD 139,000 - 246,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a forward-thinking company as an ASIC Physical Design Engineer focused on revolutionizing bitcoin mining technology. In this exciting role, you'll collaborate with a talented team to develop the next generation of mining ASICs, tackling challenges in physical implementation and optimization. With a commitment to economic empowerment and innovation, this position offers a unique opportunity to contribute to groundbreaking projects in a rapidly evolving industry. If you're passionate about ASIC design and eager to make a meaningful impact, this role is perfect for you!

Benefits

Medical Insurance

Flexible Time Off

Retirement Savings Plans

Remote Work

Modern Family Planning

Qualifications

• 4+ years of ASIC design experience with a focus on physical design.
• Understanding of the full design cycle from RTL to GDSII.

Responsibilities

• Conduct block level P&R and integration from RTL to final tapeout.
• Optimize gate-level microarchitecture and placement for timing and power.

Skills

ASIC Design

Physical Design

RTL to GDSII

Timing Analysis

Power Analysis

Linux/Unix

Scripting

Education

BSEE or Applied Science degree

Tools

Text Editors

Job description

ASIC Physical Design Engineer - Bitcoin Mining

Remote

Bay Area, CA, US

Posted Date: 02/12/25

Posted 4 days ago

Block is one company built from many blocks, all united by the same purpose of economic empowerment. The blocks that form our foundational teams — People, Finance, Counsel, Hardware, Information Security, Platform Infrastructure Engineering, and more — provide support and guidance at the corporate level. They work across business groups and around the globe, spanning time zones and disciplines to develop inclusive People policies, forecast finances, give legal counsel, safeguard systems, nurture new initiatives, and more. Every challenge creates possibilities, and we need different perspectives to see them all. Bring yours to Block.

The Role

We believe everyone should be able to participate and thrive in the economy. We believe bitcoin plays an essential role in the future of payments and the world’s economy. We believe that the status quo of bitcoin mining does not serve the mission of the bitcoin ecosystem. So we’re building a bitcoin mining rig powered by a Block designed ASIC. With our mining rig, we can address many issues such as the concentration of hardware supply in certain countries and incompatibility with clean energy sources.

As the ASIC Physical Design Engineer on our Bitcoin Data Mining team, you will work closely with other digital designers and mixed signal designers to develop the next generation of mining ASIC in 3nm. In particular, the challenges of block level physical implementation, timing, integration, assembly and physical verification are critical parts of this role.

We are a distributed team across the U.S. and Canada, but have preference for our ASIC Design Engineers to be based close to Toronto where our Hardware Lab is located.

You Will:

• Block level P&R, and integration from early RTL to final tapeout
• Full custom structured datapath optimizations to achieve world class PPA
• Propose mask layout changes to cell level designs to improve congestion and density
• Optimize gate-level microarchitecture and placement to optimize timing and power
• Develop scripts to enhance current physical design methodology
• Collaborate with teammates from different functions and time zones

You Have:

• 4+ years of relevant experience with BSEE or Applied Science degree
• Understanding of the full design cycle from RTL to GDSII, including chip level
• Successfully tapped out chips in 7nm and below
• Experience with all aspects of block delivery including clock, power analysis, physical verification, etc.
• Experience with Linux and or Unix and text editors
• Understanding of timing constraints and timing reports
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced and rapidly changing start-up environment

We’re working to build a more inclusive economy where our customers have equal access to opportunity, and we strive to live by these same values in building our workplace. Block is an equal opportunity employer evaluating all employees and job applicants without regard to identity or any legally protected class. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories for employment on our team, and always assess candidates on an individualized basis.

We believe in being fair, and are committed to an inclusive interview experience, including providing reasonable accommodations to disabled applicants throughout the recruitment process. We encourage applicants to share any needed accommodations with their recruiter, who will treat these requests as confidentially as possible.

Block will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records for employment in accordance with state and local laws and “fair chance” ordinances.

Block takes a market-based approach to pay, and pay may vary depending on your location. U.S. locations are categorized into one of four zones based on a cost of labor index for that geographic area. The successful candidate’s starting pay will be determined based on job-related skills, experience, qualifications, work location, and market conditions. These ranges may be modified in the future.

To find a location’s zone designation, please refer to this resource.

Zone A:

$163,600 — $245,400 USD

Zone B:

$155,400 — $233,200 USD

Zone C:

$147,300 — $220,900 USD

Zone D:

$139,000 — $208,600 USD

Every benefit we offer is designed with one goal: empowering you to do the best work of your career while building the life you want. Remote work, medical insurance, flexible time off, retirement savings plans, and modern family planning are just some of our offerings.

Block, Inc. (NYSE: XYZ) builds technology to increase access to the global economy. Each of our brands unlocks different aspects of the economy for more people.