RTL Design Engineer in Palo Alto

Energy Jobline ZR; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Voltai is developing world models and agents to learn, evaluate, plan, experiment, and interact with the physical world. The role focuses on designing and owning RTL for production silicon, from microarchitecture to signoff-ready code, collaborating with customers and verification teams.

You will work on real chip programs with leading semiconductor companies, driving designs through lint, CDC, and timing closure, and reviewing AI-generated RTL to define high-quality design standards.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of RTL design experience on chips that taped out.
• Expert SystemVerilog/Verilog and strong microarchitecture skills.
• Hands-on experience with lint, CDC, synthesis, and timing-aware design.
• Familiarity with common protocols (AXI, PCIe, Ethernet, DDR, or similar).
• Python or Tcl scripting.

Responsibilities

• Own microarchitecture and RTL implementation for IP blocks and subsystems in SystemVerilog.
• Drive designs through lint, CDC/RDC, synthesis, and timing closure with the backend team.
• Partner with verification and formal teams on test plans, assertions, and coverage closure.
• Debug complex functional and timing issues across simulation, emulation, and silicon.
• Review and evaluate AI-generated RTL, and help define what correct, high-quality design looks like.
• Work directly with customer design teams when needed.

Skills

RTL design expertise

SystemVerilog/Verilog

Lint/CDC/Synthesis

Timing closure

Common protocols (AXI PCIe EthernetDDR

Python or Tcl scripting

Job description

Job DescriptionJob Description

About Voltai

Voltai is developing world models, and agents to learn, evaluate, plan, experiment, and interact with the physical world. We are starting out with understanding and building hardware; electronics systems and semiconductors where AI can design and create beyond human cognitive limits.

About the Team

Backed by Silicon Valley’s top investors, Stanford University, and CEOs/Presidents of Google, AMD, Broadcom, Marvell, etc. We are a team of previous Stanford professors, SAIL researchers, Olympiad medalists (IPhO, IOI, etc.), the inventors of IC3 and the Murphi verification system, CTOs of Synopsys & GlobalFoundries, Head of Sales & CRO of Cadence, former US Secretary of Defense, Security Advisor, and Senior Foreign-Policy Advisor to four US presidents.

About this Role

You'll design and own RTL for production silicon, from microarchitecture to signoff-ready code. You'll work on real chip programs with leading semiconductor companies while helping Voltai's AI learn to write, review, and debug RTL the way the best designers do.

What You’ll Do

• Own microarchitecture and RTL implementation for IP blocks and subsystems in SystemVerilog.

• Drive designs through lint, CDC/RDC, synthesis, and timing closure with the backend team.

• Partner with verification and formal teams on test plans, assertions, and coverage closure.

• Debug complex functional and timing issues across simulation, emulation, and silicon.

• Review and evaluate AI-generated RTL, and help define what correct, high-quality design looks like.

• Work directly with customer design teams when needed.

What We’re Looking For

• 5+ years of RTL design experience on chips that taped out.

• Expert SystemVerilog/Verilog and strong microarchitecture skills.

• Hands-on experience with lint, CDC, synthesis, and timing-aware design.

• Familiarity with common protocols (AXI, PCIe, Ethernet, DDR, or similar).

• Python or Tcl scripting.

Bonus Points

• Experience writing SVA or working with formal verification.

• Low-power design (UPF, clock and power gating).

• Interest in AI-assisted design tools.