Staff Design Verification Engineer – CPU Core Verification (Vector)

SiFive, Inc.; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

SiFive is seeking a Staff Design Verification Engineer to drive verification of high-performance CPU core functionality with a focus on RVV and vector microarchitecture. This individual-contributor role collaborates with architecture, RTL, performance, and verification teams to ensure design intent is captured and corner cases are thoroughly verified, while maintaining scalable verification methodologies.

The role spans Frontend, Midcore, Load-Store Unit, and Vector Unit interactions, requiring

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
• 7+ years of relevant experience in ASIC, CPU/core, or SoC design verification for Staff role.
• Strong hands-on experience with SystemVerilog-based verification and modern verification methodologies.
• Direct experience with CPU/core verification and understanding of computer architecture.
• Experience in Frontend, Midcore, Load-Store Unit, memory ordering or Vector Unit verification.
• Proficiency in verification flow: test planning, stimulus generation, failure analysis, coverage.
• Familiarity with Python, C/C++, or similar scripting languages used for DV infrastructure.

Responsibilities

• Own verification planning and execution for high-performance out-of-order CPU core areas from block-level to core-level signoff.
• Drive verification strategy, test planning, debugging, coverage analysis, and closure for complex CPU features.
• Verify RVV and vector-unit functionality including vector arithmetic, memory ops, masking, and configuration-dependent execution.
• Develop robust verification environments, checkers, scoreboards, and coverage models.
• Collaborate with architecture and design teams to review specs and improve verification completeness.
• Mentor engineers through reviews, debugging guidance, and verification practices.

Skills

SystemVerilog DV

CPU core verification

Vector unit verification

Debugging skills

Mentoring

Python

C/C++ scripting

Education

BS/MS in EE/CE/CS

Tools

Python

C/C++

Verilog

Job description

Job Description

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.

About the Role

SiFive is looking for a Staff 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 is a Staff individual-contributor role within the CPU Design Verification organization, focused on high-performance out-of-order CPU core development. The role spans key core areas such as Frontend, Midcore, Load-Store Unit, Hardware Prefetch, and Vector Unit / vector microarchitectural interactions, and is aimed at an engineer who can independently own complex verification problems, define verification strategy early, identify microarchitectural risk, and raise verification quality across the broader CPU DV effort. You will work closely with architecture, RTL, performance, and verification teams to ensure design intent is captured correctly, difficult corner cases are verified thoroughly, and signoff quality is achieved with strong technical judgment and scalable methodology.

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.

Responsibilities

• Own verification planning and execution for one or more high-performance out-of-order CPU core areas, from block-level verification through core-level integration and signoff.
• Drive verification strategy, test planning, debug, coverage analysis, and closure for complex CPU features and microarchitectural interactions.
• Define effective verification approaches for challenging behaviors such as branch prediction, instruction fetch, issue and dispatch behavior, pipeline interactions, hazard handling, load/store ordering, memory consistency, exception and recovery behavior, hardware prefetch correctness, 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 scalar pipeline and cache / memory hierarchy behavior.
• Develop and maintain robust verification environments, checkers, scoreboards, assertions, stimulus, and coverage models that expose corner cases and improve bug-finding efficiency.
• Partner closely with architecture and design teams from early feature-definition stages to review specifications, identify ambiguity, and improve design debugability and verification completeness.
• Drive efficient failure analysis and root-cause debug across specification, RTL, test content, and verification infrastructure.
• Contribute reusable methodology, automation, and infrastructure that improve productivity and verification quality across future CPU core programs.
• Mentor other engineers through technical reviews, debugging guidance, and stronger verification practices.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
• 7+ years of relevant experience in ASIC, CPU/core, or SoC design verification, with strong hands‑on ownership of complex verification problems appropriate for a Staff role.
• Strong hands-on experience with SystemVerilog-based verification and modern verification methodologies.
• Direct experience with CPU/core verification and strong understanding of computer architecture and CPU microarchitecture.
• 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.
• Strong knowledge of verification flow methodology, including test planning, stimulus generation, failure analysis, coverage analysis, and coverage closure.
• Strong debugging skills and the ability to translate architectural intent into effective verification strategy and execution.
• Familiarity with Python, C/C++, or similar scripting/programming languages used for DV infrastructure and automation.
• BS/MS Degree in EE, CE or CS
• 5-8 years relevant experience with IP/Component functional verification, preferably in Core/CPU verification
• Deep understand of computer architecture is desired
• Experienced developer using Object Oriented Programing principles

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience with high-performance out-of-order CPU core verification.
• Direct 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.
• Experience using 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.
• Experience influencing verification methodology beyond immediate ownership scope through reusable infrastructure, automation, or technical leadership.

Benefits

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

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.