CPU Physical Design Engineer

Job Details:

Job Description:

The Role

Do you enjoy solving complex engineering challenges and pushing the boundaries of CPU performance?

Join Intel’s CPU Design team and help develop the next generation of high-performance processors. As a CPU Physical Design Engineer, you will contribute to the physical implementation and optimization of complex CPU designs, helping achieve ambitious goals for performance, power, area, timing, and manufacturability.

You will work alongside engineers across architecture, logic design, circuit design, design automation, and validation to turn innovative CPU concepts into manufacturable silicon. Your work will contribute directly to technologies enabling the next generation of client, data center, and AI computing.

This is an opportunity to deepen your physical design expertise, work with advanced semiconductor technologies, and solve challenging engineering problems alongside experienced technical teams.

About the Team

Intel’s CPU Design team within the Silicon and Platform Engineering Group (SPE) develops advanced processor technologies that power the future of computing.

Our engineers bring together expertise across architecture, logic, circuit, physical design, and design automation to build high-performance CPUs using advanced process technologies and innovative design methodologies.

We value technical curiosity, collaboration, continuous learning, and people who are motivated to find better ways to solve complex problems.

What You’ll Do

Key responsibilities will include but not limited to:

• Implement CPU physical designs from RTL through a design database ready for manufacturing.
• Work across the physical design flow, including floorplanning, synthesis, place and route, clock tree synthesis, static timing analysis, power and clock distribution, and design optimization.
• Perform verification and signoff activities such as formal equivalence, reliability verification, layout verification, and structural design checks.
• Analyze design results and identify opportunities to improve power, performance, area, timing, and overall design quality.
• Collaborate with architecture, logic, circuit, and design automation engineers to solve complex CPU design challenges.
• Develop and improve physical design methodologies, flows, and automation.
• Work with internal engineering teams and EDA partners to evaluate and improve design tools and capabilities.
• Apply lessons learned from current designs to help improve future CPU products and methodologies.

Behavioral traits that we are looking for:

• Strong analytical and technical problem-solving skills.
• Ownership and accountability for delivering high-quality results.
• A proactive mindset with the ability to identify challenges, explore solutions, and drive work forward.
• Strong collaboration skills and the ability to work across global, multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills.
• Adaptability and comfort working in a dynamic technical environment.
• Curiosity and a desire to continuously learn, grow, and explore new technologies.

Intel invests in our people and offers a complete and competitive package of benefits employees and their families through every stage of life.

• See Intel Benefits for more details.

Qualifications:

You must possess the below minimum qualifications to be initially considered for this position. Preferred qualifications are in addition to the minimum requirements and are considered a plus factor in identifying top candidates. Requirements listed would be obtained through a combination of industry relevant job experience, internship experiences and or schoolwork/classes/research.

Note:

For information on Intel’s immigration sponsorship guidelines, please see

Intel U.S. Immigration Sponsorship Information

Minimum Qualifications and Experience:

Bachelor's degree in Electrical/ Computer Engineering, or a related field with 3+ years of relevant experience. Or a Master's degree in the same field with 1+ years of educational or work experience.

Your experience describe above must be in the following:

• Physical design implementation using industry-standard EDA tools such as Synopsys Fusion Compiler, Cadence Genus/Innovus, or equivalent.
• Backend physical design workflows, including experience in areas such as floorplanning, place and route, clock tree synthesis, static timing analysis, and layout verification.
• Scripting with TCL, Perl, Python, or similar languages for design automation, analysis, or design exploration.
• Experience with RTL-to-GDS physical design flows.

Preferred Qualifications and Experience:

A PhD in in the same field with 6+ months of educational or work experience.

Experience in one or more of the following areas is a plus:

• CPU, SoC, or other complex high-performance physical design.
• Tape-out experience using advanced semiconductor process technologies.
• Low-power design techniques, multiple power domains, UPF, or power analysis methods.
• Power, performance, area, and timing optimization.
• RTL-to-GDS design-flow automation.
• AI/ML-based approaches to place-and-route or physical design optimization.
• Working across multiple EDA tools or vendor platforms.
• Collaborating with EDA vendors to evaluate or improve design tools and methodologies.
• Thermal or power-reduction techniques.

Why Join Intel

At Intel, you will have the opportunity to help develop technologies that shape the future of computing.

As part of the CPU Design team, you will tackle complex engineering challenges, work with advanced semiconductor technologies, and collaborate with talented engineers across multiple disciplines. You will have opportunities to expand your technical expertise while contributing to next-generation CPU products supporting client, data center, and AI computing.

We are looking for people who are curious, collaborative, and excited about solving difficult technical problems.

If you are passionate about semiconductor design and want to help build the next generation of computing technology, we encourage you to apply.

Job Type:

Experienced Hire

Shift:

Shift 1 (United States of America)

Primary Location:

US, Texas, Austin

Additional Locations:

Posting Statement:

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, religious creed, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, military and veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, gender, gender expression, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by local law, regulation, or ordinance.

Position of Trust

N/A

Benefits

We offer a total compensation package that ranks among the best in the industry. It consists of competitive pay, stock bonuses, and benefit programs which include health, retirement, and vacation. Find out more about the benefits of working at Intel.

Annual Salary Range for jobs which could be performed in the US: $105,650.00-200,340.00 USDThe range displayed on this job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target compensation for the position across all US locations. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific compensation range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

Work Model for this Role

This role will require an on-site presence. * Job posting details (such as work model, location or time type) are subject to change.

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Intel is committed to Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) compliance and ethical hiring practices. We do not charge any fees during our hiring process. Candidates should never be required to pay recruitment fees, medical examination fees, or any other charges as a condition of employment. If you are asked to pay any fees during our hiring process, please report this immediately to your recruiter.