Senior CPU Microarchitecture & Logic Design Engineer, Fetch and Decode

Job Description

We are seeking a talented Senior Staff CPU Design Engineer to join our team. In this role, you will be responsible for designing and implementing high-performance CPU subsystems, with a focus on achieving optimal power, performance, and area (PPA). You will work closely with cross-functional teams to develop innovative solutions, refine microarchitecture, and validate designs. This is an opportunity to work on cutting-edge projects and make a significant impact on the future of CPU technology in a collaborative and fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Define, develop, and drive microarchitecture specifications for complex CPU subsystems with a focus on Branch Prediction, Instruction Fetch, and Instruction Decode.
• Collaborate closely with the verification team to establish effective verification strategies for new designs. Support testbench development and assist verification engineers in testing and debugging core and subsystem-level RTL in simulation, prototyping platforms, and silicon.
• Front-end RTL design and optimization to achieve power, performance, area, and timing objectives.
• Coordinate with core-wide and cross-discipline engineering teams to implement RTL in physical design, ensuring adherence to layout, reliability, interface behavior, and testability requirements.
• Provide technical leadership, mentoring junior engineers and contributing to long-term CPU core architecture roadmaps.  
• Create and effectively communicate technical details to team members.

Qualifications & Skills:​

• Minimum Qualifications:​​
  • 5-10 years of experience in CPU microarchitecture and RTL design.
  • Extensive experience with high-performance instruction fetch, branch prediction, instruction decode, and instruction caches.
  • In-depth knowledge of microprocessor frontend architecture and microarchitecture, including expertise in optimization techniques and trade-offs between performance, power, and area (PPA).
  • The ability to anticipate difficulties in physical design realities and rapidly adapt to evolving circumstances.
  • Strong proficiency in SystemVerilog and hardware design methodologies.
  • Expert experience with front-end tools such as Verilog simulators and emulators, waveform viewers, logic synthesis, and place-and-route.

• Preferred Qualifications:​
  • Expertise with rapid instruction fetch, highly accurate branch prediction, and high bandwidth instruction decoding for allocation.
  • A deep technical background encompassing prediction algorithms and structures, prefetching, and accelerated flush/clear recovery.
  • Familiarity with RISC-V ISA and major extensions.
  • Ability to influence and define work models, coding standards, and design methodologies for large-scale CPU projects.  

What We Offer:

• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Opportunities for professional growth in an innovative startup environment.
• Collaboration with talented engineers passionate about cutting-edge CPU technologies.
• A flexible and inclusive work culture based in Portland, OR or Austin, TX.