Low Power Verification Engineer, Physical Design

Google LLC; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 163,000 - 236,000; Full time

Job summary

Google LLC in Sunnyvale, CA is seeking a Low Power Verification Engineer for Physical Design. You will verify low-power integrity in post-layout netlists, run UPF checks, and debug power/ground issues across synthesis to place and route.

The role emphasizes creating scalable verification workflows, automating ECOs with Tcl/Python, and collaborating with P&R teams to ensure robust multi-voltage designs for TPU-powered AI hardware.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
• 8 years of post-layout physical netlist validation and low-power signoff experience.
• Experience with static low-power rule-checking tools (VCLP/CLP) and debugging failures.
• Experience validating isolation cells, power switches, level shifters, retention registers, and always-on cells.

Responsibilities

• Design, deploy, and run post-layout low-power verification to meet tapeout signoff criteria.
• Validate multi-voltage design collateral with gate-level checks for UPF alignment.
• Resolve physical design and Place & Route anomalies affecting power delivery and timing.
• Debug CTS implementations and level shifters in high fanout networks.
• Refine PST and UPF scripts to map RTL to the final netlist.

Skills

Low-power verification

Post-layout verification

Power integrity debugging

Education

Bachelor's degree in EE/CE or equivalent

Master's or PhD in EE/CE/CS (computer architecture focus)

Tools

Synopsys VCLP

Innovus

Fusion

Tcl

Python

Job description

Low Power Verification Engineer, Physical Design

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• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
• 8 years of experience performing post-layout physical netlist validation and low-power signoff within advanced ASIC design workflows.
• Experience with static low-power rule-checking tools (such as VCLP or CLP), including experience in debugging structural checks and signal corruption issues.
• Experience validating special low-power components (isolation cells, power switches, level shifters, retention registers, and always-on cells) across all stages from synthesis to place and route.

Preferred qualifications:

• Master's degree or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering or Computer Science, with an emphasis on computer architecture.
• Experience with scripting languages (e.g., Tcl or Python) to automate Engineering Change Orders (ECOs) and improve verification workflows.
• Experience interacting with P&R tools (Innovus, Fusion) and an understanding of standard cell timing, hierarchical construction, and physical logic optimization.

Experience with UPF implementation, low-power architecture design, and resolving low-power check violations.

Expertise in resolving technical issues within the IEEE 1801 UPF framework and physical gate-level netlist flow.

• Familiarity with timing-driven Place and Route, including insertion, scaling, level shifters, and always-on cells.

About the job

In this role, you’ll work to shape the future of AI/ML hardware acceleration. You will have an opportunity to drive cutting-edge TPU (Tensor Processing Unit) technology that powers Google's most demanding AI/ML applications. You’ll be part of a team that pushes boundaries, developing custom silicon solutions that power the future of Google's TPU. You'll contribute to the innovation behind products loved by millions worldwide, and leverage your design and verification expertise to verify complex digital designs, with a specific focus on TPU architecture and its integration within AI/ML-driven systems.

The AI and Infrastructure team is redefining what’s possible. We empower Google customers with breakthrough capabilities and insights by delivering AI and Infrastructure at unparalleled scale, efficiency, reliability and velocity. Our customers include Googlers, Google Cloud customers, and billions of Google users worldwide.

We're the driving force behind Google's groundbreaking innovations, empowering the development of our cutting-edge AI models, delivering unparalleled computing power to global services, and providing the essential platforms that enable developers to build the future. From software to hardware our teams are shaping the future of world-leading hyperscale computing, with key teams working on the development of our TPUs, Vertex AI for Google Cloud, Google Global Networking, Data Center operations, systems research, and much more.

Individual pay is determined by factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

About the job

In this role, you’ll work to shape the future of AI/ML hardware acceleration. You will have an opportunity to drive cutting-edge TPU (Tensor Processing Unit) technology that powers Google's most demanding AI/ML applications. You’ll be part of a team that pushes boundaries, developing custom silicon solutions that power the future of Google's TPU. You'll contribute to the innovation behind products loved by millions worldwide, and leverage your design and verification expertise to verify complex digital designs, with a specific focus on TPU architecture and its integration within AI/ML-driven systems.

The AI and Infrastructure team is redefining what’s possible. We empower Google customers with breakthrough capabilities and insights by delivering AI and Infrastructure at unparalleled scale, efficiency, reliability and velocity. Our customers include Googlers, Google Cloud customers, and billions of Google users worldwide.

We're the driving force behind Google's groundbreaking innovations, empowering the development of our cutting-edge AI models, delivering unparalleled computing power to global services, and providing the essential platforms that enable developers to build the future. From software to hardware our teams are shaping the future of world-leading hyperscale computing, with key teams working on the development of our TPUs, Vertex AI for Google Cloud, Google Global Networking, Data Center operations, systems research, and much more.

Individual pay is determined by factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

US: $163000 - $236000 (USD) + 15% bonus target + equity + benefits
Learn more about benefits at Google .

• Design, deploy, and carry out post-layout low power verification methodologies according to execution schedules and tapeout signoff criteria to ensure successful multi-voltage implementation.
• Validate the implementation of complex multi-voltage design collateral, performing gate-level checks using industry-standard tools (e.g., Synopsys VCLP) to ensure power/ground integrity and Unified Power Format (UPF) alignment.
• Drive the resolution of complex Physical Design and Place & Route (P&R) anomalies, specifically mitigating issues such as wrong domain buffering, secondary power routing failures, and isolation clamping errors.
• Perform debugging on advanced Clock Tree Synthesis (CTS) implementations, analyzing tool behavior around level shifters in high fanout networks, duty cycle distortions, and multi-voltage skew management.
• Drive the continuous refinement of power state tables (PST) and Unified Power Format (UPF) scripts to ensure accurate translation from Golden RTL to the final physical netlist.

Google is proud to be an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. We are committed to building a workforce that is representative of the users we serve, creating a culture of belonging, and providing an equal employment opportunity regardless of race, creed, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy or related condition (including breastfeeding), expecting or parents-to-be, criminal histories consistent with legal requirements, or any other basis protected by law. See also Google's EEO Policy , Know your rights: workplace discrimination is illegal , Belonging at Google , and How we hire .

Google is a global company and, in order to facilitate efficient collaboration and communication globally, English proficiency is a requirement for all roles unless stated otherwise in the job posting.

Equity is granted exclusively and discretionarily by Alphabet Inc. on the basis of an agreement concluded between you and Alphabet Inc. Alphabet Inc. is your sole contractual partner with respect to equity grants. GSU grants are not guaranteed, are discretionary, are subject to approval by the Alphabet Inc. board of directors or its delegate, the terms of the relevant Alphabet Inc. stock plan, and your grant agreement. They have no impact on statutory payments. Current or past grants do not confer an acquired right.