ASIC RTL Design Engineer, AI Math & Computer Hardware

Tesla•Palo Alto, CA

About The Position

Tesla's AI hardware team is seeking a highly motivated ASIC RTL Design Engineer with a specialization in the mathematical and computational aspects of custom AI accelerators. You will focus on designing high-performance, power-efficient RTL for math-intensive components that power our AI training and inference systems. This role emphasizes expertise in tensor operations, matrix computations, and optimized data paths for advanced AI workloads. This role is located in Palo Alto, CA or Austin, TX. If you are passionate about pushing the boundaries of low-precision arithmetic, quantization techniques, and hardware acceleration for machine learning, this is your opportunity to contribute to revolutionary AI hardware.

Requirements

Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, a related field, or equivalent experience
3+ years of experience in ASIC RTL design, with a proven track record in math-oriented hardware components for AI/ML accelerators (e.g., GPUs, TPUs, or custom ASICs)
Deep understanding of tensor cores and matrix multiplication architectures, including systolic arrays, GEMM optimizations, and fused multiply-add (FMA) units
Expertise in data path design for SIMD/VLIW processors, including vector registers, ALU pipelines, and parallelism techniques
Hands-on experience with low-precision math, including floating-point and integer formats, rounding modes, and error analysis for AI applications
Familiarity with block quantization formats (e.g., per-tensor, per-channel quantization) and their implementation in hardware for efficient inference
Proficiency in using look-up tables for function approximation, such as in sigmoid/tanh activations or transcendental functions
Strong skills in Verilog/SystemVerilog, with experience in synthesis tools (e.g., Synopsys DC) and simulation environments (e.g., VCS, Verdi)
Excellent problem-solving abilities, with a passion for optimizing compute efficiency in resource-constrained environments

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of AI frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch) and how hardware math units interact with software kernels is a plus

Responsibilities

Micro-architect and implement RTL for specialized math units, including tensor cores, matrix multiplication engines, and SIMD (Single Instruction, Multiple Data) data paths
Optimize designs for low-precision math operations (e.g., FP8, INT4/8) to maximize throughput while maintaining accuracy for AI models
Develop and integrate block quantization formats, such as those used in model compression, ensuring seamless hardware support for quantized neural networks
Design look-up tables (LUTs) for efficient approximation of non-linear functions, activation functions, and other compute-intensive operations
Collaborate with AI architects and software teams to define functional requirements for math-heavy pipelines, focusing on data flow, parallelism, and precision trade-offs
Perform RTL coding in Verilog/SystemVerilog, with an emphasis on modular, reusable designs for complex arithmetic units
Participate in design reviews, simulation, and verification to ensure correctness of math operations under various edge cases, including overflow, underflow, and quantization errors
Analyze performance metrics (e.g., area, power, latency) for math datapaths and propose optimizations to meet aggressive AI hardware targets
Work closely with physical design and verification teams to bring designs from concept to silicon, with a focus on high-speed, high-density compute blocks

Benefits

Medical plans > plan options with $0 payroll deduction
Family-building, fertility, adoption and surrogacy benefits
Dental (including orthodontic coverage) and vision plans, both have options with a $0 paycheck contribution
Company Paid (Health Savings Accounts) HSA Contribution when enrolled in the High-Deductible medical plan with HSA
Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
401(k) with employer match, Employee Stock Purchase Plans, and other financial benefits
Company paid Basic Life, AD&D
Short-term and long-term disability insurance (90 day waiting period)
Employee Assistance Program
Sick and Vacation time (Flex time for salary positions, Accrued hours for Hourly positions), and Paid Holidays
Back-up childcare and parenting support resources
Voluntary benefits to include: critical illness, hospital indemnity, accident insurance, theft & legal services, and pet insurance
Weight Loss and Tobacco Cessation Programs
Tesla Babies program
Commuter benefits
Employee discounts and perks program