GPU Physical Design Engineer

Austin Santa Clara Until 9/22/2026 10+ years exp First posted July 24, 2026 Last posted July 24, 2026
Job description

Do you love creating sophisticated solutions to highly complex challenges? As part of our Silicon Technologies group, you’ll help design and manufacture our next-generation, high-performance, power-efficient GPU! You’ll ensure Apple products and services can seamlessly handle the tasks that make them beloved by millions! Joining this group means crafting and building the technology that fuels Apple’s devices. Together, we enable our customers to do all the things they love with their devices. This role requires a mix of strategic engineering along with hands-on experience in physical design and large chip integration, being responsible for implementing complete chip design from RTL to tapeout.

Description

In this role, you will:
- Work closely with the FE team to understand chip architecture and drive physical aspects early in design cycle.
- Work closely with the FE team to understand chip architecture and drive physical aspects early in design cycle.
- Drive best in class PD construction and optimization recipes for performance, power and Area (PPA).
- Collaborate to drive methodologies and “best known methods” to streamline PD work, come up with guidelines and checklists, drive execution, and supervise progress.
- Work on cutting edge designs in the latest technology nodes.
- Be focal point for place and route drive the work among place and route engineers, set goals and breakthroughs, plan short and long-term work, understand dependencies between different domains like top, STA, block place and route.
- Lead and resolve design and flow issues related to physical design, identify potential solutions and drive execution.
- Work cross-functionally to ensure delivery of best in class physical implementations geared towards world class products

Minimum Qualifications

Experience with industry standard physical Implementation tools and PPA optimization flows
Experience with TCL, Perl or Python scripting
BS + 10 years of relevant experience

Preferred Qualifications

We value proven ability in all aspects of ASIC implementation including Synthesis, DFT insertion, Floorplanning, Clock and Power distribution, Place and Route and all aspects of timing, electrical and physical signoff.
Work with FE teams to understand the design architecture to drive optimal floorplanning and physical implementation through early RTL feedback.
Use design knowledge and innovative physical construction and optimization flows to push performance, power, and Area (PPA) of GPU designs.
Experience with multi-voltage, power gated and power retention will be an advantage.
Your practical knowledge with hierarchical design approach, top-down design, budgeting, timing, and physical convergence will be an asset.
Showcase your experience on integrating IP from both internal and external vendors and be able to specify and drive IP requirements in the physical domain.
Track record of applying creative thinking to strategically solve problems that have impact for a project, group, or organization.
Your depth of expertise with large GPU designs (>20M gates) with frequencies in excess of 1GHz applying brand new technologies will serve you well.
From a CAD tool perspective, experience creating and analyzing floorplanning tools, P&R flows, static timing and Physical Design Verification Flows is required.
Experience with various process related design issues including Design for Yield and manufacturability, multi Vt strategies and thermal Management.
Proven track record in solving complex PD and cross functional problems, driving results directly and or directing a team of engineers to innovate and execute on world class GPU designs.

About this role

Summary

Lead physical design and optimization for high-performance GPU chips.

Job title

GPU Physical Design Engineer

Experience level

10+ years

Minimum experience

10+ years exp

Industry

technology

Location requirements

Austin or Santa Clara, remote work not specified.

Salary

Not specified

Management role

No

Skills & keywords

Required skills

industry standard physical implementation toolsPPA optimization flowsTCLPerlPython scripting

Preferred skills

ASIC implementationSynthesisDFT insertionFloorplanningClock and Power distributionTiming analysisElectrical signoffPhysical signoffhierarchical designmulti-voltagepower gatedpower retentionIP integrationlarge GPU designfloorplanning toolsP&R flowsstatic timingPhysical Design VerificationDesign for Yieldmanufacturabilitymulti Vt strategiesthermal management

Specializations

physical designGPUchip integrationRTLplace and route
Locations

Structured locations inferred from the posting.

Austin, TX, USA

Work arrangement unknown City

Santa Clara, CA, USA

Work arrangement unknown City