CPU Physical Design Engineer

Company Overview

QT Technologies Ireland Limited, operating under Qualcomm, seeks a skilled Physical Design Engineer to join their Cork, Ireland team. This role belongs to the ASICS Engineering group within the wider Engineering division.

Role Summary

The selected engineer will engage in multiple stages of physical implementation and sign-off activities, supporting advanced high-performance, low-power CPU designs. Collaboration across teams is essential to maintain excellence in performance, power, and area, contributing to the development of next-generation Snapdragon SOC products using cutting-edge technologies.

Key Duties

• Utilize expertise in computer architecture, micro-architecture, logic design, circuits, and physical design to develop and validate CPU designs optimized for performance and power.
• Manage physical implementation processes from floorplanning through to GDSII generation for high-speed complex CPU architectures while meeting aggressive power, performance, and area (PPA) criteria.
• Engage in research to innovate and enhance methodologies that push PPA boundaries for future CPU generations, including creating new physical design flows.
• Collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams for physical implementation understanding, timing closure, and optimizing power usage.
• Stay abreast of industry trends and advancements in physical design to ensure alignment with best practices and drive innovative solutions.
• Conduct thorough statistical analyses and benchmarking to identify improvement areas and resolve issues.
• Coordinate efforts across teams to meet PPA improvement targets and ensure designs conform to the highest standards and innovation benchmarks.

Candidate Profile

• Minimum of 7 years of experience in CPU physical design.
• Proficient in all stages of the design lifecycle from conceptual architecture through post-silicon validation.
• Strong capability in producing detailed technical documentation, including feature and architectural descriptions, verification plans, and implementation details.
• Comprehensive knowledge of the physical design flow from netlist to GDSII, including floorplanning, power planning, placement, clock tree synthesis, routing, and associated optimization techniques.
• Experience with advanced technology nodes at 7nm and smaller.
• Expertise in clock tree synthesis tailored for high-speed and low-power designs.
• Robust understanding of static timing analysis (STA), timing closure methodologies, and trade-offs involving congestion, routing, and power.
• Ability with power and power integrity analysis tools.
• Familiarity with physical verification practices and design rule checking (DRC) closure.
• Advanced automation scripting skills using Perl and TCL to develop and support physical design workflows.
• Excellent communication abilities and adaptability to a fast-paced multidisciplinary engineering environment.

Educational Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree plus 4+ years OR Master's degree plus 3+ years OR PhD plus 2+ years of relevant ASIC design, verification, validation, or integration experience required.

Work Location

Based in Cork, Ireland—a vibrant and diverse economic hub with strong international connectivity and quality of life.

Equal Opportunity Statement

The company is an Equal Opportunity employer committed to providing a diverse and inclusive workplace, welcoming all applicants regardless of race, religion, gender, disability, or other protected characteristics.

Benefits and Perks

• Competitive salary accompanied by stock options and performance bonuses.
• Maternity and paternity leave programs.
• Employee stock purchase plan.
• Matching pension contributions.
• Support for education and career development.
• Relocation and immigration assistance if applicable.
• Comprehensive life, medical, income, and travel insurance coverage.
• Subsidized programs supporting physical and mental well-being.
• Bicycle purchase program.
• Access to employee-organized social clubs including running, football, chess, and badminton.

Additional Information

The role requires strict adherence to company policies concerning information security and confidentiality. Qualcomm does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiting agencies; all applications must be directly submitted by candidates. Reasonable accommodations are available for applicants with disabilities during the hiring process upon request.