Staff GPU Design Verification Engineer – Formal Verification

Samsung Semiconductor; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 151,000 - 227,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k)

Relocation assistance

Tuition assistance

Paid time off

Job summary

Samsung Electronics America, Inc. at the SARC/ACL campus in Austin seeks a Staff GPU Design Verification Engineer specializing in Formal Verification to help push the next generation of mobile GPUs.

You will collaborate with architecture and RTL teams, develop assertions and formal models, and drive verification closure using industry-standard tools, with a focus on clock and power gating and safety properties.

Qualifications

• Minimum 6+ years in GPU/semiconductor design verification or 4+ years with a Master’s degree.
• Strong background in formal verification methods and GPU/graphics pipelines.
• Proficient in SystemVerilog/SVA and scripting languages.
• Experience with industry-standard formal verification tools and methodologies.
• Ability to debug complex failures and provide root-cause analysis.

Responsibilities

• Define verification goals, properties, and sign-off criteria for GPU features.
• Architect and implement formal verification environments with assertions and models.
• Exhaustively verify corner cases and state-space behaviors beyond simulations.
• Analyze failures, trace counterexamples, and coordinate with RTL/architecture teams.
• Contribute to convergence analysis, coverage, and test plans.
• Documentation of verification plans and results; participate in knowledge sharing.

Skills

GPU verification

SystemVerilog/SVA

Python scripting

C/C++

Formal verification

Debugging and analysis

Collaboration across RTL/architecture

Education

Bachelor’s in CS/Engineering

Master’s degree

Ph.D.

Tools

EDA tools

Job description

Position Summary

Samsung, a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, is founded on a simple philosophy - the endless pursuit of excellence will create a better world for all. At Samsung Austin Research and Development Center (SARC) and Advanced Computing Lab (ACL), we are building a center of excellence for Intellectual Property (IP) that is applied to high-performance computing devices (mobile, automotive, and other custom market segments) consumed by millions of people around the world. Come build with us!

Position Summary

Samsung, a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, is founded on a simple philosophy - the endless pursuit of excellence will create a better world for all. At Samsung Austin Research and Development Center (SARC) and Advanced Computing Lab (ACL), we are building a center of excellence for Intellectual Property (IP) that is applied to high-performance computing devices (mobile, automotive, and other custom market segments) consumed by millions of people around the world. Come build with us!

Role And Responsibilities

As a Staff GPU Design Verification Engineer – Formal Verification, you will contribute to block and subsystem level formal verification for Samsung's next-generation mobile GPU.

In this individual contributor role, you will execute formal verification in collaboration with architecture and RTL teams to ensure functional correctness, power gating mechanisms, and alignment with architectural intent. You bring solid expertise in formal methods and GPU or semiconductor design verification, with an interest in exploring new approaches as methodologies evolve.

• Leveraging your technical foundation, you will contribute to block-level formal verification strategy and execution by defining verification goals, properties, coverage objectives, and sign-off criteria for critical GPU features, including clock and power gating.
• You architect and implement formal verification environments by collaborating with RTL and architecture teams to develop assertions, properties, and formal models using industry-standard formal tools and methodologies to validate complex graphics and compute behavior.
• You ensure functional correctness by applying formal techniques to exhaustively verify corner cases, state-space behaviors, and safety properties that go beyond what simulation-based verification can achieve.
• You contribute to debug analysis and root-cause resolution by analyzing formal failures, tracing counterexamples, and working closely with design and architecture teams to ensure verification aligns with architectural intent and improves design robustness.
• You apply formal verification techniques including proof depth, bug hunting, complexity handling, bounded proof, failure triaging, cover scenarios, and convergence analysis to achieve formal verification closure on assigned GPU design features.
• You exercise independent judgment in execution, methods, and evaluation criteria — breaking down complex verification problems into actionable tasks and delivering results with minimal guidance.
• You contribute to project execution using Confluence, JIRA, and relevant planning techniques, and maintain documentation including formal verification test plans, convergence reports, and complexity analysis.
• You participate in knowledge-sharing and foster a culture of ownership and engineering rigor within the team.

Skills And Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience with a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science/Engineering, or 4+ years of experience with a Master’s Degree, or 2+ years of experience with a Ph.D.
• 5+ years of hands‑on experience in GPU, CPU, or advanced semiconductor design verification with a focus in formal verification.
• Solid understanding of computer architecture and graphics pipelines.
• Strong programming and scripting skills in Python, Perl, C/C++, or equivalent.
• Proficiency in SystemVerilog and SystemVerilog Assertions (SVA).
• Working knowledge of formal verification methodologies, including property verification, data path checking, model checking, register verification, connectivity checking, and coverage analysis.
• Hands‑on experience with industry‑standard formal verification EDA tools and methodologies.
• Strong debugging, analytical, and problem‑solving skills with the ability to propose and execute solutions independently.
• Effective communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work across RTL, architecture, and design teams in a fast‑paced global environment.

Nice to Have

• Knowledge of memory subsystems or coherent interconnects.
• Experience with constrained random verification using UVM (IEEE 1800 Universal Verification Methodology).
• Exposure to developing or improving formal verification flows, methodologies, or tooling.
• Exposure to low‑power design techniques and verification of power intent (e.g., UPF concepts).
• Interest in advancing the state of formal verification practices.

Our Team

The GPU Design Verification team at SARC/ACL owns verification coverage for Samsung’s current and next‑generation mobile GPUs. Our work spans across three areas: Graphic Core, Subsystem Verification, and Formal Verification. As a globally distributed team, we work closely with architecture, design, software, emulation, and system‑level partners to ensure GPU designs function effectively as a complete system. Our Xclipse GPU is the first mobile GPU with ray tracing technology that enables console‑level graphics for Samsung Galaxy smartphones.

You will join a diverse, collaborative organization to work on concurrent annual development lifecycles and see your work delivered in real consumer technologies. Here you’ll help build what’s next, broaden your expertise, and solve impactful challenges in a supportive environment that values collaboration, continuous learning, and growth.

Total Rewards

At Samsung – SARC/ACL, base pay is one part of our total compensation package and is determined within a range. This provides the opportunity to progress as you grow and develop within a role. The base pay range for this role is between $151,000 and $226,600. Your actual base pay will depend on variables that may include your education skills, qualifications, experience, and work location.

Samsung employees have access to benefits including: medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 401(k), onsite lunch, employee purchase program, tuition assistance (after 6 months), paid time off, student loan program, wellness incentives, and many more. In addition, regular full‑time employees (salaried or hourly) are eligible for MBO bonus compensation, based on company, division, and individual performance.

Additionally, this role might be eligible to participate in long term incentive plan and relocation.

This is an exempt position, which is not eligible for overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

U.S. Export Control

This position requires the ability to access information subject to U.S. export control restrictions. Applicants must have the ability to access export‑controlled information or be eligible to receive a government authorization to access export‑controlled information.

Trade Secrets

By submitting an application, you [applicant] agree[s] not to disclose to Samsung, or induce Samsung to use, any confidential or proprietary information (including trade secrets) belonging to any current or previous employer or other person or entity.

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