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 4+ years of Hardware Engineering or related work experience.
OR
Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Engineering, or related field and 3+ years of Hardware Engineering or related work experience.
OR
PhD in Computer Science, Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Engineering, or related field and 2+ years of Hardware Engineering or related work experience.

Required Skills

• Technical Expertise

  • Strong knowledge of ASIC design flow: RTL → Synthesis → STA → P&R.

  • Proficiency in synthesis tools (Design Compiler, Genus) and STA tools (PrimeTime).

• Low-Power Design

  • Experience with UPF/CPF-based flows and multi-voltage designs.

• Scripting

  • Advanced skills in Tcl, Perl, Python for automation.

• EDA Tools

  • Familiarity with Spyglass, Lint, CDC tools, and power analysis tools.

• Leadership

  • Ability to lead synthesis teams and coordinate with cross-functional groups.

• Education

  • Bachelor’s/Master’s in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field.

• Experience

  • 15+ years in ASIC synthesis and timing closure, with at least 3 years in NPU or AI processor design.

• Preferred

  • Experience with advanced nodes (5nm/3nm), hierarchical synthesis, and physical-aware flows.

  • Prior tape-out experience for NPU or DSP cores.

Applicants

: Qualcomm is an equal opportunity employer. If you are an individual with a disability and need an accommodation during the application/hiring process, rest assured that Qualcomm is committed to providing an accessible process. You may e-mail disability-accomodations@qualcomm.com or call Qualcomm's toll-free number found here. Upon request, Qualcomm will provide reasonable accommodations to support individuals with disabilities to be able participate in the hiring process. Qualcomm is also committed to making our workplace accessible for individuals with disabilities. (Keep in mind that this email address is used to provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. We will not respond here to requests for updates on applications or resume inquiries).

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