Senior Design Verification Engineer – CPU Core Verification (Vector)

SiFive, Inc.; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare

Retirement plans

Paid time off

Job summary

SiFive is seeking a Senior Design Verification Engineer to drive verification of high‑performance CPU core functionality with emphasis on RVV vector extension and vector microarchitecture verification. You will work with architecture, RTL, performance, and verification teams to verify design intent and achieve signoff quality.

The role requires 5+ years in CPU/core verification, strong SystemVerilog/UVM expertise, and deep knowledge of computer architecture.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
• 5+ years of relevant experience in IP, CPU/core, or SoC functional verification.
• Strong hands-on experience with SystemVerilog-based verification and modern verification methodologies.
• Solid understanding of computer architecture and CPU microarchitecture fundamentals.
• Experience with test planning, verification environment development, stimulus generation, failure analysis, coverage analysis, and coverage closure.
• Strong debug skills and the ability to translate architectural intent into effective verification strategy and execution.
• Strong programming and scripting fundamentals for building scalable verification solutions.
• Experience in one or more CPU core areas such as Frontend, Midcore, Load-Store Unit, memory ordering and consistency, Hardware Prefetch, or Vector Unit verification.

Responsibilities

• Own verification planning and execution for assigned high‑performance CPU core areas, from block‑level verification through core‑level integration.
• Create effective verification strategies and test plans based on CPU architecture and microarchitectural behavior.
• Develop and maintain robust verification environments, checkers, scoreboards, assertions, stimulus, and coverage models.
• Define and execute directed and constrained‑random tests that expose corner cases in branch prediction, instruction fetch, pipeline interactions, issue/dispatch behavior, hazard handling, load/store ordering, memory consistency, hardware prefetch behavior, and vector execution correctness.
• Drive verification of RVV and vector‑unit functionality, including vector arithmetic, vector memory operations, masking behavior, configuration‑dependent execution, hazard handling, exception behavior, and scalar‑vector interactions.
• Verify vector microarchitectural behaviors involving SEW, LMUL, VL, VSTART, masking, vector register‑file behavior, vector memory sequencing, and interaction with the scalar pipeline and cache / memory hierarchy.
• Analyze failures, isolate root cause, and drive fixes across RTL, verification infrastructure, assertions, and test content.
• Collaborate closely with architecture and design teams to review specifications, identify ambiguities early, and improve verification quality and debugability.
• Write functional coverage, analyze code and functional coverage, and close coverage gaps to ensure verification completeness and signoff quality.
• Contribute reusable DV methodology, automation, and infrastructure that improve team productivity and verification quality across future CPU core generations.

Skills

SystemVerilog

CPU verification

Debugging

Scripting

Verification planning

Education

Electrical Engineering

Tools

SystemVerilog

UVM

Verilog

Job description

About SiFive

About SiFive As the pioneers who introduced RISC-V to the world, SiFive is transforming the future of compute by bringing the limitless potential of RISC-V to the highest performance and most data-intensive applications in the world. SiFive’s unrivaled compute platforms are continuing to enable leading technology companies around the world to innovate, optimize and deliver the most advanced solutions of tomorrow across every market segment of chip design, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, automotive, data center, mobile, and consumer. With SiFive, the future of RISC-V has no limits. At SiFive, we are always excited to connect with talented individuals, who are just as passionate about driving innovation and changing the world as we are. Our constant innovation and ongoing success is down to our amazing teams of incredibly talented people, who collaborate and support each other to come up with truly groundbreaking ideas and solutions. Solutions that will have a huge impact on people’s lives; making the world a better place, one processor at a time. Are you ready? To learn more about SiFive’s phenomenal success and to see why we have won the GSA’s prestigious Most Respected Private Company Award (for the fourth time!), check out our website and Glassdoor pages.

Job Description

About the Role SiFive is looking for a Senior Design Verification Engineer to drive verification of high-performance CPU core functionality, with meaningful scope in RISC-V Vector Extension (RVV) and vector microarchitecture verification. This role is within the CPU Design Verification organization and focuses on high-performance out-of-order CPU core development. The scope includes core areas such as Frontend, Midcore, Load-Store Unit, Hardware Prefetch, and Vector Unit / vector microarchitectural interactions. We are looking for an engineer who can independently own meaningful verification work, create effective verification strategies and test plans, solve complex debug problems efficiently, and contribute reusable methodology and infrastructure to the broader CPU DV team. You will work closely with architecture, RTL, performance, and verification teams to ensure design intent is verified correctly, difficult corner cases are covered thoroughly, and signoff quality is achieved with strong technical execution.

Responsibilities

• Own verification planning and execution for assigned high-performance CPU core areas, from block-level verification through core-level integration.
• Create effective verification strategies and test plans based on CPU architecture and microarchitectural behavior.
• Develop and maintain robust verification environments, checkers, scoreboards, assertions, stimulus, and coverage models.
• Define and execute directed and constrained-random tests that expose corner cases in branch prediction, instruction fetch, pipeline interactions, issue/dispatch behavior, hazard handling, load/store ordering, memory consistency, hardware prefetch behavior, and vector execution correctness.
• Drive verification of RVV and vector-unit functionality, including vector arithmetic, vector memory operations, masking behavior, configuration-dependent execution, hazard handling, exception behavior, and scalar-vector interactions.
• Verify vector microarchitectural behaviors involving SEW, LMUL, VL, VSTART, masking, vector register-file behavior, vector memory sequencing, and interaction with the scalar pipeline and cache / memory hierarchy.
• Analyze failures, isolate root cause, and drive fixes across RTL, verification infrastructure, assertions, and test content.
• Collaborate closely with architecture and design teams to review specifications, identify ambiguities early, and improve verification quality and debugability.
• Write functional coverage, analyze code and functional coverage, and close coverage gaps to ensure verification completeness and signoff quality.
• Contribute reusable DV methodology, automation, and infrastructure that improve team productivity and verification quality across future CPU core generations.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
• 5+ years of relevant experience in IP, CPU/core, or SoC functional verification, preferably with direct experience in CPU/core verification.
• Strong hands‑on experience with SystemVerilog-based verification and modern verification methodologies.
• Solid understanding of computer architecture and CPU microarchitecture fundamentals.
• Experience with test planning, verification environment development, stimulus generation, failure analysis, coverage analysis, and coverage closure.
• Strong debug skills and the ability to translate architectural intent into effective verification strategy and execution.
• Strong programming and scripting fundamentals for building scalable verification solutions.
• Experience in one or more CPU core areas such as Frontend, Midcore, Load-Store Unit, memory ordering and consistency, Hardware Prefetch, or Vector Unit verification.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience with high-performance out-of-order CPU core verification.
• Experience with RISC‑V Vector Extension (RVV), SIMD, or vector‑processor verification.
• Experience verifying vector behaviors such as vector arithmetic, masking, reductions, permutations, vector‑scalar operations, and vector load/store functionality.
• Experience verifying vector memory behavior, including alignment, page‑boundary conditions, exception handling, hazard detection, cache/memory interactions, and coherency‑sensitive scenarios.
• Experience working with vector configuration and execution modes such as SEW, LMUL, VL, VSTART, and related legality / corner‑case behavior.
• Experience verifying complex CPU microarchitectural behaviors involving concurrency, replay, flush, redirects, dependency handling, or weak memory ordering.
• Experience developing high‑value assertions, checkers, and scoreboards for control‑heavy or ordering‑sensitive CPU behavior.
• Familiarity with formal verification, emulation, or acceleration for high‑risk or hard‑to‑observe verification problems.
• Experience collaborating effectively with performance, compiler, system verification, and software teams to close verification gaps from multiple perspectives.

Compensation

In addition to base pay, this role may be eligible for variable/ incentive compensation and/ or equity.

Benefits

• In addition, this role is eligible for a comprehensive, competitive benefits package which may include healthcare and retirement plans, paid time off, and more!

Additional Information

This position requires a successful background and reference checks and satisfactory proof of your right to work in United States of America. Any offer of employment for this position is also contingent on the Company verifying that you are authorized for access to export-controlled technology under applicable export control laws or, if you are not already authorized, our ability to successfully obtain any necessary export license(s) or other approvals.

Equal Opportunity Employment

SiFive is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. As an E-Verify employer, we use this system to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires in accordance with federal law. All applicants will be required to complete a Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, upon hire. We do not use E-Verify to pre-screen job candidates and will comply with all E-Verify regulations.

No Further Instructions

Championed by leaders who chose to make a real difference, SiFive led the RISC-V revolution—creating a tremendous wave with the strength to remove economic hurdles and create opportunities for all. Now that we’ve made history, you have the opportunity to write the future. If you love to be challenged, you can join the best of the best and get rewarded for doing something that truly matters.