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Emulation Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Senior Emulation Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$122K - $168K/yr

Build, bring up, and maintain large-scale hardware emulation and FPGA prototyping platforms for memory-centric computing SoCs, enabling pre-silicon hardware and software validation. * Partition and ...

The Emulation Center of Excellence (CoE) team is key part of this group, with global ownership and responsibility for delivering emulation infrastructure, validating the design on emulation and drive ...

Description As a member of the Emulation verification team, we play a key role in using Emulation for verification of large SoCs. The overall work will involve porting the design onto the Palladium ...

Emulation Verification Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$160K/yr

We are looking for you to join our emulation team focusing on the creation, deployment, and support of advanced emulation environments. In this highly visible role, you will be at the center of a ...

Emulation Engineer - ZeBu City: Mountain View State/Province: California Posting Start Date: 8/24/26 Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO) is a leading technology services and consulting ...

The Emulation Center of Excellence (CoE) team is key part of this group, with global ownership and responsibility for delivering emulation infrastructure, validating the design on emulation and drive ...

Emulation Verification Engineer

Sunnyvale, CA · On-site

$184.70 - $324.80/hr

Description As a member of the Emulation verification team, we play a key role in using Emulation for verification of large SoCs. The overall work will involve porting the design onto the Palladium ...

The Role We are seeking a Senior ASIC Emulation Engineer who will lead the bring-up, deployment, and optimization of our pre-silicon emulation platforms. You will work closely with architecture, RTL ...

Senior Emulation Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$138 - $206/hr

Build, bring up, and maintain large-scale hardware emulation and FPGA prototyping platforms for memory-centric computing SoCs, enabling pre-silicon hardware and software validation. * Partition and ...

New

Emulation Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$155K - $222K/yr

Developing emulation infrastructure using C/C++ and TCL * As a team member, work closely with the design, DV, power, and post-silicon diagnostic teams. * Assist with test plan design, test ...

Senior Emulation Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$138 - $206/hr

Build, bring up, and maintain large-scale hardware emulation and FPGA prototyping platforms for memory-centric computing SoCs, enabling pre-silicon hardware and software validation. * Partition and ...

As an Hardware Emulation Architect on the HBM architecture team you will be responsible for architecting, enabling, and deploying hardware emulation capabilities for next generation HBM products. You ...

Principal Emulation Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$209K - $230K/yr

We are looking for a Principal Emulation Engineer with hands-on experience verifying protocols on complex ASICs and experience with or interest in emulation. The ideal candidate would be at ease ...

Showing results 41-60

Emulation information

See California salary details

$22

$51

$77

How much do emulation jobs pay per hour?

As of Sep 3, 2026, the average hourly pay for emulation in California is $51.32, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $38.89 and $62.40 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is emulation?

Emulation refers to the process of imitating the functionality of one computer system or device on another. In technology jobs, emulation professionals often create software or hardware environments that mimic the behavior of different platforms, allowing software to run as if it were on the original hardware. This is especially useful for testing, development, and running legacy applications. Emulation plays a crucial role in areas like software development, gaming, and chip design, ensuring compatibility and preserving older systems.

What are common challenges faced by professionals working in emulation, and how can they overcome them?

Professionals in emulation roles often encounter challenges such as keeping pace with rapidly evolving hardware architectures and ensuring accurate replication of complex system behaviors. Debugging compatibility issues and optimizing for performance without sacrificing accuracy are also frequent hurdles. Collaboration with hardware engineers and software developers is vital, as is staying informed about new tools and best practices. Developing strong problem-solving skills and engaging with the emulation community can help address these challenges effectively.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an emulation engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Emulation Engineer, you need a strong background in digital design, hardware verification, and a relevant degree in electrical engineering or computer science. Familiarity with hardware description languages (HDLs) like Verilog/VHDL, emulation platforms (such as Cadence Palladium or Mentor Veloce), and scripting languages is crucial. Strong analytical thinking, problem-solving abilities, and effective collaboration distinguish top professionals in this field. These skills are vital for efficiently validating complex hardware systems, reducing time-to-market, and ensuring product reliability.

What is the difference between Emulation vs Simulation?

AspectEmulationSimulation
PurposeReplicates hardware/software behavior in real-time for testing and developmentModels system behavior to analyze performance or predict outcomes
AccuracyHigh fidelity, closely mimics actual hardware/softwareVariable accuracy, focuses on behavior over exact replication
Work EnvironmentUsed in hardware/software development, testing labsUsed in research, training, and analysis
CredentialsKnowledge of hardware, software, and testing toolsUnderstanding of system modeling and analysis

Emulation and simulation are both vital in technology development. Emulation provides a real-time, high-fidelity replication of hardware or software, ideal for testing and debugging. Simulation offers a broader analysis of system behavior, useful for research and performance prediction. While they share overlapping skills, emulation emphasizes real-world accuracy, whereas simulation focuses on modeling system dynamics.

What are popular job titles related to Emulation jobs in California?

For Emulation jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Emulation jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Emulation jobs in California are:

What cities in California are hiring for Emulation jobs?

Cities in California with the most Emulation job openings:

Infographic showing various Emulation job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 86% Full Time, 2% Temporary, and 12% Contract. Highlights an 89% In-person, 4% Hybrid, and 7% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $106,736 per year, or $51.3 per hour.

Senior Emulation Engineer

Samsung Semiconductor

San Jose, CA • On-site

$122K - $168K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 15 days ago


Key responsibilities

  • Build, bring up, and maintain large-scale hardware emulation and FPGA prototyping platforms for memory-centric computing SoCs.

  • Partition and map complex multi-million-gate designs onto emulation systems and multi-FPGA prototypes, optimizing for capacity, performance, and debug visibility.

  • Develop and automate emulation and prototyping flows, including scripting and AI tools, to improve turnaround time and quality of results.


Samsung Electronics rating

6.7

Company rating: 6.7 out of 10

Based on 50 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

129th of 161 rated electronics manufacturers


Job description

Please Note:

To provide the best candidate experience amidst our high application volumes, each candidate is limited to 10 applications across all open jobs within a 6-month period. 

Advancing the World's Technology Together

Our technology solutions power the tools you use every day--including smartphones, electric vehicles, hyperscale data centers, IoT devices, and so much more. Here, you'll have an opportunity to be part of a global leader whose innovative designs are pushing the boundaries of what's possible and powering the future. 

We believe innovation and growth are driven by an inclusive culture and a diverse workforce. We're dedicated to empowering people to be their true selves. Together, we're building a better tomorrow for our employees, customers, partners, and communities.

Our technology solutions power the tools you use every day--including smartphones, electric vehicles, hyperscale data centers, IoT devices, and so much more. Here, you'll have an opportunity to be part of a global leader whose innovative designs are pushing the boundaries of what's possible and powering the future. 

We believe innovation and growth are driven by an inclusive culture and a diverse workforce. We're dedicated to empowering people to be their true selves. Together, we're building a better tomorrow for our employees, customers, partners, and communities.

The AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) Computing Lab is dedicated to solving the complex system-level challenges posed by the growing demands of future AI/ML workloads. Our team is committed to designing and developing scalable platforms that can effectively handle the computational and memory requirements of these workloads while minimizing energy consumption and maximizing performance. To achieve this goal, we collaborate closely with both hardware and software engineers to identify and address the unique challenges posed by AI/ML workloads and to explore new computing abstractions that can provide a better balance between the hardware and software components of our systems. Additionally, we continuously conduct research and development in emerging technologies and trends across memory, computing, interconnect, and AI/ML, ensuring that our platforms are always equipped to handle the most demanding workloads of the future. By working together as a dedicated and passionate team, we aim to revolutionize the way AI/ML applications are deployed and executed, ultimately contributing to the advancement of AGI in an affordable and sustainable manner. Join us in our passion to shape the future of computing!

Location:  Daily onsite presence at our San Jose, CA office / U.S. headquarters in alignment with our Flexible Work policy.

What You'll Do

  • Build, bring up, and maintain large-scale hardware emulation and FPGA prototyping platforms for memory-centric computing SoCs, enabling pre-silicon hardware and software validation.
  • Partition and map complex multi-million-gate designs onto emulation systems and multi-FPGA prototypes, optimizing for capacity, run-time performance, and debug visibility.
  • Develop transactors, speed bridges, and co-emulation (SCE-MI) environments that connect the design under test to host software and virtual or physical interfaces.
  • Model memory subsystems, clock and reset schemes, and high-speed I/O interfaces for accurate, high-throughput emulation and prototyping.
  • Enable early firmware, driver, and software bring-up by delivering stable emulation and prototype targets with robust debug infrastructure.
  • Run AI/ML workloads and performance benchmarks pre-silicon to validate functionality and system-level performance.
  • Debug complex hardware and software issues using waveform capture, assertions, and coverage, driving root-cause analysis together with design, verification, and software teams.
  • Make trade-offs between emulation and prototyping — capacity, speed, bring-up time, and debug — to select the right platform for each project milestone.
  • Develop and automate emulation and prototyping flows (compile, partitioning, and build) using scripting and agentic AI tools and frameworks to improve turnaround time and quality of results.
  • Communicate effectively with stakeholders, including users, partners, and management, to ensure that designs are delivered on time and within budget.
  • Complete other responsibilities as assigned.

What You Bring

  • Bachelor's with 5+ years, or Master's with 3+ years, or PhD's with 0+ years of industry experience.
  • Strong background in pre-silicon verification, validation, and SoC bring-up.
  • 5+ years of experience in both FPGA prototyping and large-scale hardware emulation of complex ASIC/SoC designs.
  • Hands-on experience with large-scale emulation platforms such as Cadence Palladium, Synopsys ZeBu, or Siemens Veloce.
  • Hands-on experience with FPGA prototyping platforms such as Synopsys HAPS or Cadence Protium, including multi-FPGA design partitioning and timing closure.
  • Experience with transactors, co-emulation (SCE-MI), speed bridges, and standard interface protocols such as PCIe, DDR/HBM, AXI/CHI, or Ethernet.
  • Proficiency in Verilog/SystemVerilog and in design bring-up, clocking, reset, and memory modeling for emulation and prototyping.
  • Proficiency in scripting (Tcl, Python, or Perl) for emulation and prototyping flow automation; familiarity with agentic AI tools and frameworks is a plus.
  • Experience running AI/ML workloads or system-level software pre-silicon.
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a team
  • You're inclusive, adapting your style to the situation and diverse global norms of our people.
  • An avid learner, you approach challenges with curiosity and resilience, seeking data to help build understanding.
  • You're collaborative, building relationships, humbly offering support and openly welcoming approaches.
  • Innovative and creative, you proactively explore new ideas and adapt quickly to change.

#LI-VL1

What We Offer
The pay range below is for all roles at this level across all US locations and functions. Pay within this range varies by work location and may also depend on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. We also offer incentive opportunities that reward employees based on individual and company performance. 
This is in addition to our diverse package of benefits centered around the wellbeing of our employees and their loved ones. In addition to the usual Medical/Dental/Vision/401k, our inclusive rewards plan empowers our people to care for their whole selves. An investment in your future is an investment in ours.

Give Back With a charitable giving match and frequent opportunities to get involved, we take an active role in supporting the community.
Enjoy Time Away You'll start with 4+ weeks of paid time off a year, plus holidays and sick leave, to rest and recharge.
Care for Family Whatever family means to you, we want to support you along the way—including a stipend for fertility care or adoption, medical travel support, and virtual vet care for your fur babies.
Prioritize Emotional Wellness With on-demand apps and free confidential therapy sessions, you'll have support no matter where you are.
Stay Fit Eating well and being active are important parts of a healthy life. Our onsite Café and gym, plus virtual classes, make it easier.
Embrace Flexibility Benefits are best when you have the space to use them. That's why we facilitate a flexible environment so you can find the right balance for you.

Base Pay Range
$138,000—$206,000 USD

Equal Opportunity Employment Policy 

Samsung Semiconductor takes pride in being an equal opportunity workplace dedicated to fostering an environment where all individuals feel valued and empowered to excel, regardless of race, religion, color, age, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, ancestry, genetic information, marital status, national origin, political affiliation, or veteran status.

When selecting team members, we prioritize talent and qualities such as humility, kindness, and dedication. We extend comprehensive accommodations throughout our recruiting processes for candidates with disabilities, long-term conditions, neurodivergent individuals, or those requiring pregnancy-related support. All candidates scheduled for an interview will receive guidance on requesting accommodations.

Our Commitment to Innovation and Fairness

At Samsung Semiconductor, we use Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in the recruitment process to enhance efficiency. However, AI is used as a support tool, not a final decision-maker. All hiring decisions are made by our human recruiting team and hiring managers to ensure every candidate is evaluated fairly and holistically.

Recruiting Agency Policy

We do not accept unsolicited resumes. Only authorized recruitment agencies that have a current and valid agreement with Samsung Semiconductor, Inc. are permitted to submit resumes for any job openings.

Applicant AI Use Policy 

At Samsung Semiconductor, we support innovation and technology. However, to ensure a fair and authentic assessment, we ask that candidates rely on their own knowledge and skills throughout the process. AI tools may be used for basic preparation, grammar, and research, but should not be used to generate or assist with submitted content or live interview responses. If we determine that AI is being used outside these guidelines, we reserve the right to pause or end the interview, and your candidacy may be disqualified.

Trade Secret Notice

By submitting an application, you agree not to disclose to Samsung—or encourage Samsung to use—any confidential or proprietary information (including trade secrets) belonging to a current or former employer or other entity.

Applicant Privacy Policy
https://semiconductor.samsung.com/about-us/careers/us/privacy/


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