Staff Engineer, Physical Design

As a Staff Engineer, Physical Design at Tenstorrent, your primary responsibilities will revolve around optimizing ASIC designs encompassing performance, power, area, and scheduling. You'll collaborate closely with both the front-end engineering team and foundry representatives, ensuring your work aligns with our cutting-edge SOC and CPU architectures. Tasks include conducting synthesis analysis, managing floorplanning, and implementing advanced technology solutions. Your role is critical in pushing our AI technology boundaries.

To qualify for the Staff Engineer, Physical Design role at Tenstorrent, a candidate must possess a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, or Computer Engineering, along with at least 5 years of relevant experience. Alternatively, a Master's degree with 3 years of experience is acceptable. Knowledge of TCL and PrimeTime is required to excel in this position, highlighting the technical expertise necessary for our innovative projects.

Essential skills for a Staff Engineer, Physical Design at Tenstorrent include a strong command of physical design methodologies, proficiency in tools like PrimeTime and TCL, and the ability to collaborate effectively with team members across different domains. Additionally, a solid understanding of floorplanning, timing analysis, and reliability checking will help you thrive and contribute to our high-performance RISC-V CPU endeavors.

Working at Tenstorrent as a Staff Engineer, Physical Design means becoming part of a vibrant team dedicated to revolutionizing AI technology. The culture at Tenstorrent encourages collaboration and curiosity, enabling you to engage deeply with complex problems and develop innovative solutions alongside talented professionals. Our commitment to competitive compensation and career growth further enhances your experience as a valued team member.

Compensation for a Staff Engineer, Physical Design at Tenstorrent ranges from $100k to $500k, including base and variable components, reflecting our commitment to recognizing the skills and experience you bring. Factors such as your expertise, education, location, and background play a vital role in determining the actual offer, ensuring a competitive package tailored for each candidate.

When asked about your experience in physical design engineering, aim to highlight specific projects where you optimized the design flow, tackled timing issues, and collaborated with cross-functional teams. Be sure to mention any tools you used, such as PrimeTime or any other relevant software. This demonstrates not only your technical proficiency but also your ability to work in a team dynamic.

In your response, be sure to mention specific tools like TCL, PrimeTime, or any CAD tools you have utilized in past projects. Discuss how you leveraged these tools to achieve objectives related to timing analysis or verification, which will show your familiarity with industry standards and processes.

When tackling timing closure, discuss your systematic approach, such as examining timing paths, applying constraints, and iterating on design adjustments. Include examples of how you’ve identified and resolved timing violations, illustrating your strategic problem-solving capability.

Floorplanning is a foundational aspect of physical design. Share your experiences regarding how you approached floor planning tasks and the methods you employed to optimize area and reduce power consumption. Emphasize your understanding of its impact on overall design performance.

Discuss what Design Rule Checking (DRC) is, how it functions within the physical design process, and its importance for ensuring manufacturability. Providing examples of challenges faced and how you successfully navigated them can lend credibility to your expertise.

Talk about the strategies you use to maintain power integrity, including the analysis of delivery networks and the use of simulation tools. This highlights your knowledge of managing power-related concerns essential for high-performance ASIC designs.

When discussing a challenging design problem, try to focus on a situation that required critical thinking and collaboration. Outline the problem, your analysis process, solutions you considered, and the successful outcome, showcasing your problem-solving skills.

Reflect on any experiences you have interacting with foundry representatives where you gained insights into advanced technology implementations. Illustrating your communication skills and technical discussions shows your collaborative approach and ability to bridge understanding between design and manufacturing.

Provide an overview of the ASIC design methodologies you have utilized throughout your career. Focus on aspects such as RTL, synthesis, and verification phases, showcasing your comprehensive grasp of the entire design lifecycle.

Staying current is key in a fast-paced field. Share your strategies such as reading industry publications, attending seminars/webinars, or participating in relevant forums. Highlighting proactive learning illustrates your dedication to professional growth and adapting to industry advancements.