EDA Tools & Flows Architect/Developer – AI-Powered Design Automation

Altera Semiconductor • San Jose, CA

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About The Position

Altera is seeking a passionate and driven engineer to join our Design Automation team, focusing on developing and enhancing EDA tools, flows, and methodologies for advanced chip design implementation. This role spans digital and custom design domains, including schematic capture, layout automation, and frontend flow development, with a strong emphasis on integrating ML/AI techniques to improve design efficiency and quality.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in electrical engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field (Ph.D. preferred) along with:
• 10+ years of industry experience in EDA tools, flows, and methodologies for ASIC/FPGA design.
• Digital and custom IC design flows, including synthesis, floorplanning, placement, CTS, routing, STA, schematic capture, layout, and signoff (DRC/LVS).
• Frontend design flows (RTL development, synthesis, linting, CDC, formal verification).
• Scripting and automation using Python, Tcl, and EDA tool APIs.
• Hands-on experience with ML/AI techniques and frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn) applied to design automation and optimization.
• Experience in industry-standard EDA tools (Synopsys, Cadence, Siemens/Mentor) and ability to evaluate emerging technologies.
• Demonstrated ability to architect complex flows, drive methodology improvements, and lead cross-functional initiatives.
• Track record of mentoring and influencing technical teams.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in EDA tool development and automation for physical or custom IC design flows.
• Hands-on expertise with FPGA and ASIC design methodologies, including RTL-to-GDSII implementation.
• Experience with data-driven optimization techniques and reinforcement learning to EDA workflows for performance and efficiency improvements

Responsibilities

• Design and architect robust, scalable, and efficient physical design flows covering synthesis, floorplanning, placement, clock tree synthesis (CTS), routing, and signoff.
• Develop and maintain end-to-end design automation flows for RTL-to-GDSII implementation.
• Create and optimize custom schematic and layout flows for analog, mixed-signal, and full-custom digital designs.
• Contribute to frontend design flows, including RTL development, synthesis, linting, clock-domain crossing (CDC) checks, and formal verification.
• Collaborate across teams (design, CAD, and architecture) to identify bottlenecks and deliver automation solutions.
• Leverage ML/AI techniques to improve physical design processes such as placement, routing, timing closure, and power optimization.
• Evaluate and integrate new EDA tools and methodologies to enhance design productivity and quality.
• Develop documentation and training resources to support internal tool adoption and usage.
• Benchmark and validate flow improvements across multiple technology nodes and diverse design styles.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level