Senior Staff Engineer - NPU/AI Processor Synthesis

NPU/AI Processor Synthesis Sr Staff Engineer

Company:

Qualcomm India Private Limited

Job Area:

Engineering Group, Engineering Group > Hardware Engineering

General Summary:

Role Overview

The NPU Synthesis Lead will be responsible for driving synthesis and timing closure for Neural Processing Unit (NPU) IP and subsystems in cutting-edge SoCs. This role involves leading synthesis flows, optimizing for PPA (Performance, Power, Area), and collaborating with architecture, RTL, and physical design teams to ensure high-quality netlists for advanced technology nodes.

Key Responsibilities

• Synthesis Ownership

  • Lead RTL-to-gate-level synthesis for NPU IP and subsystems using industry-standard tools (Synopsys Design Compiler, Cadence Genus).

  • Develop and maintain synthesis scripts and flows for hierarchical and flat designs.

• Timing Closure

  • Drive pre-layout and post-layout timing closure across multiple voltage and process corners.

  • Collaborate with STA teams to resolve setup/hold violations.

• Power & Area Optimization

  • Apply physical-aware synthesis techniques to meet aggressive PPA targets.

  • Implement low-power strategies using UPF/CPF flows.

• Constraint Management

  • Validate and maintain SDC constraints for clocks, I/O delays, multi-cycle paths, and false paths.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration

  • Work closely with RTL design, DFT, and physical design teams for seamless handoff.

  • Provide feedback to architecture and RTL teams for QoR improvements.

• Quality Checks

  • Perform LEC (Logical Equivalence Check), CLP (Clock/Power checks), and linting.

• Flow Innovation

  • Explore advanced synthesis methodologies and EDA tool capabilities for better QoR.

• Team Leadership

  • Mentor junior engineers and drive best practices across synthesis and timing teams.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Engineering, or related field and 6+ years of Hardware Engineering or related work experience.
OR
Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Engineering, or related field and 5+ years of Hardware Engineering or related work experience.
OR
PhD in Computer Science, Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Engineering, or related field and 4+ years of Hardware Engineering or related work experience.

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