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Chip Design Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Eridu AI

ASIC Chip Design Lead

Saratoga, CA · On-site

$250K - $280K/yr

The company is in execution mode and has a world-class engineering team with decades of experience ... Position Overview We are seeking a hands-on ASIC Chip Design Lead to own chip design execution from ...

OMNIVISION

SoC Design Engineer

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

$156K - $160K/yr

SoC Design Engineer Job Duties: Be responsible for digital design of ASIC cores within image sensor ... Perform chip bring-up, validation and debugging. Design, integrate and validate data pipeline ...

OMNIVISION

SoC Design Engineer

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

$156K - $160K/yr

SoC Design Engineer Job Duties: Be responsible for digital design of ASIC cores within image sensor ... Perform chip bring-up, validation and debugging. Design, integrate and validate data pipeline ...

OMNIVISION

SoC Design Engineer

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

SoC Design Engineer Job Duties: Be responsible for digital design of ASIC cores within image sensor ... Perform chip bring-up, validation and debugging. Design, integrate and validate data pipeline ...

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Google

Chip CAD DevOps Engineer, Google Cloud

Sunnyvale, CA · On-site

$62 - $84.75/hr

As a Chip CAD Engineer, you will be working with a highly creative team, innovating new ways to develop hardware, improve upon industry standards, and with the potential to evolve a new paradigm in ...

Mercor

RTL Design Engineer - AI Tools

San Francisco, CA · Remote

$100 - $175/hr

Position: RTL Design Engineers Type: Contract Compensation: $100-$175/hour Location: Remote ... Evaluate digital chip design workflows to enhance AI model training and evaluation . * Design and ...

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Chip Design Engineer information

See California salary details

$40K

$87K

$156.4K

How much do chip design engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 6, 2026, the average yearly pay for chip design engineer in California is $86,995.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $67,100.00 and $97,200.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

Are chip designers in demand?

Chip design engineers are in high demand due to the growth of semiconductor technology, consumer electronics, and data centers. Skills in VHDL, Verilog, and CAD tools are valuable, and the industry offers competitive salaries with opportunities for advancement.

What is the salary of microchip design engineer?

The salary of a chip design engineer typically ranges from $80,000 to $150,000 annually, depending on experience, location, and company size. Entry-level positions may start lower, while experienced engineers with specialized skills in VHDL, Verilog, or FPGA design can earn higher salaries.

What engineer makes $500,000 a year?

A senior chip design engineer with extensive experience, specialized skills in advanced semiconductor technologies, and leadership responsibilities can earn $500,000 or more annually. Such roles often require advanced degrees, certifications, and a track record of successful project delivery in high-demand industries like semiconductor manufacturing or technology firms.

What are some typical projects or daily tasks for a Chip Design Engineer?

As a Chip Design Engineer, your daily tasks often include designing and simulating integrated circuits, reviewing schematics, writing and verifying code in hardware description languages, and collaborating closely with layout engineers and verification teams. You may also participate in design reviews, troubleshoot potential issues, and optimize chip performance to meet specific requirements. Working with cross-functional teams, including software engineers and product managers, is common to ensure the chip integrates seamlessly with end products. This role provides opportunities to see your designs progress from concept to final manufacturing, offering valuable hands-on experience at each stage of development.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the Chip Design Engineer position, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Chip Design Engineer, you need a solid background in electrical engineering, digital and analog circuit design, and experience with VLSI principles, usually backed by a relevant degree. Proficiency with industry-standard tools like Cadence, Synopsys, and experience in HDL languages (such as Verilog or VHDL) is highly valued, as are certifications like Certified IC Designer. Strong problem-solving abilities, attention to detail, and effective teamwork and communication skills help set you apart. These competencies are critical for developing reliable, high-performance chips in a collaborative and deadline-driven environment.

What is a Chip Design Engineer job?

A Chip Design Engineer is responsible for designing and developing integrated circuits (ICs) used in electronic devices. They work with hardware description languages (HDLs) like Verilog or VHDL to create digital or analog circuit designs. Their role includes logic design, verification, simulation, and testing to ensure performance and power efficiency. They collaborate with teams across hardware, software, and manufacturing to bring chips from concept to production. Chip Design Engineers are essential in industries like consumer electronics, automotive, and telecommunications.

How much do chip design engineers make?

Chip design engineers typically earn a median annual salary ranging from $80,000 to $130,000, depending on experience, location, and industry. Senior engineers with specialized skills in VLSI design or FPGA development can earn higher salaries, often exceeding $150,000 annually.
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Chip Design Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Chip Design Engineer job openings in California as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 89% Full Time, 8% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 94% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 3% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $86,995 per year, or $41.8 per hour.

Staff Chip Design Engineer (Redwood City)

Cognichip

Redwood City, CA • On-site

Full-time

Posted 8 days ago

Job description

Overview

At Cognichip, we’re not just building AI—we’re redefining what’s possible at the nexus of silicon design and machine learning. As a Staff Chip Design Engineer on our team, you’ll tackle real-world scientific and coding challenges—defining the processes for dataset collection, curation, and enhancement. You’ll fuse knowledge of chip design and ML into end-to-end silicon design flows. If you thrive on pushing the envelope of research and translating cutting-edge ideas into production-grade systems, this is your stage.

What you\'ll do
  • Serve as the domain experts, embedding chip design experience into a team creating AI chip design assistants
  • Bridge research and production. Collaborate closely with ML and SW teams to integrate experimental models into scalable pipelines.
  • Define data-processing pipelines, training orchestration, and evaluation frameworks to accelerate iteration on large-scale experiments.
  • Analyze and iterate. Dive deep into large datasets—experimental logs, simulation outputs, and user interaction traces—to diagnose model behavior, surface failure modes, and drive evidence-based improvements.
  • Publish and present. Document findings in technical reports, contribute to open-source projects, and present work internally (and externally, when appropriate) to help shape the broader AI research community.
What You Bring
  • Masters in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related field
  • 10-15 years of experience in RTL design, or a combination of design and verification
  • Proficiency in SystemVerilog and Python languages
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, esp to convey chip design knowledge to scientists/engineers in other fields
  • Comfortable working in a dynamic, research-heavy startup environment
  • Demonstrated coursework or project experience in machine learning and/or deep learning
Bonus Points
  • Personal projects showcasing innovation, creativity, and continuous learning
  • Knowledge of industry-standard communication protocols (SPI, I2C, AXI, Ethernet, PCIe, DDR5, etc)
  • Knowledge of open-source tools and contribution practices (Verilator, CocoTB, Yosys, OpenSTA, etc)
  • Experience with multiple areas of chip flow (RTL design, validation, synthesis, physical design, etc)
  • Experience with FPGA development (Vivado, Vitis, Quartus, etc), front end, IP integration, and/or back end
What it's like here

We’re a fast-moving AI startup with a collaborative, high-trust culture. You’ll work with top-tier engineers, scientists, and builders—solving hard problems that sit at the intersection of cloud computing, AI, and chip design. We value technical excellence, ownership, and the freedom to experiment. If you’re excited to build the future of engineering, you’ll feel right at home.

Logistics

This position is available in Silicon Valley’s Redwood Shores, CA. We have a hybrid schedule with four days in office, one day remote. Cognichip accepts applications that need H1B transfer.

How to apply

Don’t meet every single requirement? Feel over-qualified? That’s okay—if you\'re excited about our mission, we’d still love to hear from you. We are growing fast and need a world class team of various experience levels.

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