Principal System Architect - Semiconductor | Bangalore or Hyderabad | 20+ years of expeirence required
The role oversees end-to-end system and micro-architecture definition for advanced ASICs and SoCs, ensuring optimal PPA and seamless design execution. It requires deep expertise in RTL development, complex micro-architecture design, and full ASIC development flow. The position involves close collaboration with verification, physical design, and cross-functional teams. Strong leadership, technical excellence, and extensive experience from concept to tape-out are essential.
Key responsibilities
- Design and development: Define the architecture and micro-architecture for complex ASICs and systems-on-chips (SoCs).
- Requirement analysis: Capture and analyze product requirements, working with stakeholders to translate them into a detailed system blueprint.
- Define micro-architecture specifications: Translate high-level architectural requirements into detailed micro-architectural and functional specifications. This includes defining data paths, control logic, and pipeline stages.
- Performance, power, and area (PPA) trade-offs: Analyze and evaluate different design approaches to achieve optimal PPA metrics. Good in analysing downstream impact on PPA critical constraints.
- RTL development: Implement the micro-architecture in a hardware description language (HDL) like Verilog or SystemVerilog, with a focus on code quality, design structure, and integration.
- Cross-functional collaboration: Work closely with other engineering teams, including system architects, verification engineers, and physical design engineers, to ensure smooth project execution.
- Verification support: Support the verification team in reviewing test plans, stimulus, and debugging complex design issues to close functional and code coverages.
- Timing closure and integration: Collaborate with the physical design team to ensure timing closure and resolve integration issues during the place-and-route phase.
- Documentation: Create and maintain comprehensive documentation, including micro-architecture specifications and design notes.
Required skills and qualifications
- Micro-architecture design:
Minimum 15+ years of proven experience in system architecture, micro-architecture development for complex ASICs or Systems-on-a-Chip (SoCs), including elements like MCU's, pipelining, caching, memory subsystems etc.
Minimum 2 successful micro-architecture story from Definition to Tape-Out to Mass production.
- RTL coding: Strong proficiency in hardware description languages such as Verilog and SystemVerilog.
- ASIC design flow: A solid understanding of the full ASIC development flow, from design concept to tape-out.
- Advanced knowledge: Expertise in specific micro-architectural concepts, such as bus architectures (AMBA or In-house), interconnects, and low-power design techniques (e.g., clock/power gating).
Tools and methodologies:
- EDA tools: Familiarity with Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools from vendors like Synopsys or Cadence.
- Scripting: Strong scripting skills using languages like Python, Perl, or Tcl for automation and flow development.
- Verification techniques (Optional): Knowledge of verification methodologies, including formal verification and static timing analysis.
Soft skills:
- Problem-solving: Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with a keen attention to detail.
- Communication: Strong verbal and written communication skills for effective cross-functional collaboration.
- Leadership: Demonstrated ability to provide technical leadership and mentor cross-functional team.
Education: A Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering.
