RISCV CPU Systems Architecture/RTL Engineer – Senior Level

Qualcomm; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 209,000 - 314,000; Full time

Job summary

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. is seeking highly skilled engineers for RISCV CPU RTL development and architecture definition.

You will contribute to microarchitecture, RTL execution of CPU system features, and work on configuration access, timer/interrupt architectures, and power management. The role requires a Master’s degree with extensive CPU RTL experience, deep microarchitectural knowledge, and expertise in Verilog/VHDL, debugging, and waveform analysis.

Qualifications

• Masters degree plus 10+ years in CPU RTL or related field
• Deep knowledge of microprocessor architecture with RISCV, timer/interrupt, configuration access, RAS and safety
• Strong power management expertise for high‑performance systems
• Proven experience in defining and developing debug features for high‑performance designs
• Excellent technical documentation and communication skills

Responsibilities

• Own or contribute to performance and power optimization with CPU modeling team
• Develop high-level architecture and microarchitecture specs translating to RTL
• Own RTL development and refine RTL to meet power, performance, area, timing goals
• Support functional verification and verification strategies
• Deliver design collaboration with cross-functional teams to validate timing, area, reliability and power
• Work with software/firmware/platform teams to enable CPU system features in products

Skills

Verilog

VHDL

RISCV ISA familiarity

Power management

Debug/trace

RTL design fundamentals

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Computer/CS

Master's degree in Electrical/Computer/CS

PhD in Electrical/CS/Engineering

Job description

Company:

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Job Area:

Engineering Group, Engineering Group > CPU Engineering

General Summary:

We are hiring talented engineers for RISCV CPU RTL development targeting high-performance, low-power devices. In this role, you will contribute to architecture and product definition and be responsible for microarchitecture and RTL execution of CPU system features. These include, but are not limited to: System architecture - configuration access protocols and ordering requirements, timer and interrupt architecture, Power management architecture, Debug and trace architecture.

Required for this Role:

• Master’s degree in computer or electrical engineering with 10+ years of experience in CPU RTL or a related field
• Deep knowledge of microprocessor architecture, with expertise in one or more of the following areas:
  • RISCV CPU system features: timer synchronization, interrupt controller, configuration access protocols, RAS and safety mechanisms
  • Architecture and performance monitoring, telemetry architecture
  • Power management: active and idle power strategies, limit and clock architecture
  • Debug/trace architecture, scan-dump, and memory dump mechanisms
• Strong expertise in power management for high-performance systems, including active power, idle low power, and silicon/system limits
• Proven experience in defining and developing debug features for high-performance designs
• Excellent technical documentation skills, along with strong written and verbal communication abilities
• Proficiency in Verilog and/or VHDL, and experience with simulators and waveform debugging tools
• Solid understanding of logic design principles, including timing and power implications

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in computer or electrical engineering
• Familiarity with RISCV CPU architecture and ISA
• Understanding of low-power microarchitecture techniques
• Knowledge of high-performance design strategies and trade-offs in CPU microarchitecture
• Experience with scripting languages such as Perl or Python

Roles and Responsibilities

As a CPU Systems Architecture/RTL Engineer, you will own or contribute to the following:

• Explore performance and power optimization opportunities in collaboration with the CPU modeling team
• Develop high-level architecture and microarchitecture specifications that translate into RTL design
• Own RTL development: assess and refine RTL to meet power, performance, area, and timing goals
• Support functional verification: assist the design verification team in executing verification strategies
• Deliver design: collaborate with cross-functional engineering teams to validate physical design aspects including timing, area, reliability, testability, and power
• Work closely with software, firmware, and platform teams to enable CPU system features in products

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field and 6+ years of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.
• Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field and 5+ years of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.
• PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field and 4+ years of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.

Qualcomm is an equal opportunity employer. If you are an individual with a disability and need an accommodation during the application/hiring process, rest assured that Qualcomm is committed to providing an accessible process. You may e-mail [e-mail] or call Qualcomm's toll-free number found here. Upon request, Qualcomm will provide reasonable accommodations to support individuals with disabilities to be able participate in the hiring process. Qualcomm is also committed to making our workplace accessible for individuals with disabilities. (Keep in mind that this email address is used to provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. We will not respond here to requests for updates on applications or resume inquiries).

EEO Employer: Qualcomm is an equal opportunity employer; all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or any other protected classification.

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.

Pay range and Other Compensation & Benefits:

$209,300.00 - $313,900.00

The above pay scale reflects the broad, minimum to maximum, pay scale for this job code for the location for which it has been posted. Even more importantly, please note that salary is only one component of total compensation at Qualcomm. We also offer a competitive annual discretionary bonus program and opportunity for annual RSU grants (employees on sales-incentive plans are not eligible for our annual bonus). In addition, our highly competitive benefits package is designed to support your success at work, at home, and at play. Your recruiter will be happy to discuss all that Qualcomm has to offer – and you can review more details about our US benefits at this link.