RTL core/processor Microarchitecture Engineer

QUALCOMM, Inc.; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 101,000 - 152,000; Full time

Job summary

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. is seeking a motivated RTL engineer to join the Hexagon processor microarchitecture team in Austin. You will contribute to the design and development of next-generation AI and modem cores, helping shape energy-efficient, high-performance solutions for AI workloads.

You will collaborate with architecture, verification, and software teams to optimize PPA and ensure hardware-software co-optimization for neural network inference, delivering production-quality RTL.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Science, Engineering, or related field.
• Master’s degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related field
• 1+ years of experience in Processor architecture or RTL design
• Strong understanding of CPU microarchitecture and ISA guidance

Responsibilities

• Own and drive RTL design and microarchitecture development for high-performance, low-power CPU and AI cores.
• Collaborate with architecture, verification, physical design, and software teams to deliver production-quality RTL.
• Contribute to performance, power, and area (PPA) optimization, including clock gating, power domains, and low-power techniques.
• Analyze and resolve timing, area, and functional issues across the design cycle.
• Apply knowledge of instruction set architecture (ISA) to guide microarchitecture decisions and support AI and signal processing workloads.
• Work closely with AI software and compiler teams to ensure hardware-software co-optimization for neural network inference.

Skills

RTL design

Verilog/SystemVerilog

CPU microarchitecture

Low-power design

AI accelerators/NPUs

Collaboration

Education

Master’s degree in Computer Engineering / Electrical Engineering

Bachelor’s degree in Science/Engineering

Tools

Synthesis tools

Job description

Company:

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Job Area:

Engineering Group, Engineering Group > ASICS Engineering

General Summary:

Company Overview:

Qualcomm is the world's largest fabless semiconductor company, delivering cutting-edge hardware, software, and services that power nearly every mobile device on the planet. At the heart of our innovation are the Hexagon DSP cores, which now serve not only as digital signal processors but also as highly efficient NPUs (Neural Processing Units) for accelerating AI workloads across mobile, automotive, IoT, and edge platforms.

Role Overview:

We are seeking a motivated RTL engineer to join our Hexagon processor microarchitecture team. You will contribute to the design and development of next-generation AI and modem cores, helping to shape the future of intelligent computing. This role is ideal for someone passionate about AI acceleration, CPU microarchitecture, and energy-efficient design. You will work on industry-leading cores that power Qualcomm's AI Engine and deliver best-in-class performance per watt.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Science, Engineering, or related field.

Key Responsibilities:

• Own and drive RTL design and microarchitecture development for high-performance, low-power CPU and AI cores.
• Collaborate with architecture, verification, physical design, and software teams to deliver production-quality RTL.
• Contribute to performance, power, and area (PPA) optimization, including clock gating, power domains, and low-power techniques.
• Analyze and resolve timing, area, and functional issues across the design cycle.
• Apply knowledge of instruction set architecture (ISA) to guide microarchitecture decisions and support AI and signal processing workloads.
• Work closely with AI software and compiler teams to ensure hardware-software co-optimization for neural network inference.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Strong understanding of CPU microarchitecture, including:
  • Instruction pipelines, out-of-order execution, branch prediction
  • Load/store units, memory hierarchy, cache coherence, and ordering
  • Multi-threaded and multi-core systems
• Proficiency in RTL design using Verilog/SystemVerilog
• Familiarity with low-power design techniques and synthesis/timing closure
• Experience with AI accelerators, DSPs, or NPUs is a strong plus
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills

Minimum Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related field
• 1+ years of experience in Processor architecture or RTL design

Why Join Us?

Be part of a team that has shipped over 25 billion cores with a legacy of flawless execution. If you're passionate about solving complex design challenges and building innovative, energy-efficient processors that power the next wave of AI and intelligent edge computing, we want to hear from you.

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:

$101,400.00 - $152,200.00

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.