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Entry Level Physical Design Engineer Jobs in California

Apple Inc.

GPU Physical Design Engineer

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

$180 - $240/hr

This role requires a mix of strategic engineering along with hands-on experience in physical design and large chip integration, being responsible for implementing complete chip design from RTL to ...

New

Apple

IC Package Design Engineer

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$146K/yr

Description As a Package design engineer, you will lead advanced package architecture, drive next ... Proven experience in IC package physical design using Cadence Allegro or Mentor Xpedition platforms ...

Micron

HBM SoC Physical Design Engineer

Folsom, CA

$121K - $205K/yr

As a SoC Physical Design Engineer in the Heterogeneous Integration Group (HIG), you will drive the implementation of advanced HBM SoC logic/base die designs from netlist to GDSII. You will work ...

Qualcomm

Staff. Physical Design Engineer

San Diego, CA · On-site

As a Qualcomm ASIC Engineer, you will define, model, design (digital and/or analog), optimize, verify, validate, implement, and document IP (block/SoC) development for a variety of high performance ...

Apple

SoC Physical Design Engineer, PnR

San Jose, CA · On-site

$159K - $164K/yr

Description In Physical Design, you will be at the center of design effort collaborating with architecture, CAD, timing and logic design teams, with a critical impact on delivering best in class ...

Apple

SoC Physical Design Engineer, PnR

San Jose, CA · On-site

$159K - $164K/yr

Description In Physical Design, you will be at the center of design effort collaborating with architecture, CAD, timing and logic design teams, with a critical impact on delivering best in class ...

Apple

SoC Physical Design Engineer, PnR

San Jose, CA

$129K - $194K/yr

Description In Physical Design, you will be at the center of design effort collaborating with architecture, CAD, timing and logic design teams, with a critical impact on delivering best in class ...

Apple

SoC Physical Design Engineer, PnR

San Jose, CA

$129K - $194K/yr

Description In Physical Design, you will be at the center of design effort collaborating with architecture, CAD, timing and logic design teams, with a critical impact on delivering best in class ...

Apple

IC Package Design Engineer

Los Angeles, CA

$122K - $214K/yr

Description As a Package design engineer, you will lead advanced package architecture, drive next ... Proven experience in IC package physical design using Cadence Allegro or Mentor Xpedition platforms ...

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All JobsPhysical Design Engineer JobsEntry Level Physical Design Engineer JobsEntry Level Physical Design Engineer Jobs in California

Entry Level Physical Design Engineer information

What does an entry level physical design engineer do?

An Entry Level Physical Design Engineer works on the layout and implementation of integrated circuits (ICs), specifically focusing on translating logical circuit designs into physical layouts that can be manufactured. Their responsibilities often include tasks such as floorplanning, placement, routing, timing analysis, and design rule checking using specialized software tools. They collaborate with other engineers to ensure that the chip meets performance, power, and area requirements. Entry-level engineers are typically involved in supporting more experienced team members while learning industry-standard design flows and tools. This role plays a crucial part in bringing new electronic products to market.

What are some common challenges entry level physical design engineers face when transitioning from academic projects to industry roles?

Entry Level Physical Design Engineers often find that real-world projects are larger in scale and complexity compared to academic assignments. Adapting to industry-standard tools like Cadence or Synopsys, managing strict deadlines, and collaborating within multidisciplinary teams can be challenging at first. Additionally, understanding and following established workflows, as well as dealing with the nuances of process technology and design constraints, require a steep learning curve. However, many companies provide mentorship and training to help new engineers integrate smoothly and develop their expertise.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an entry level physical design engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Entry Level Physical Design Engineer, you need a solid background in electrical engineering, digital logic design, and VLSI concepts, typically supported by a relevant bachelor’s or master’s degree. Familiarity with industry-standard tools like Cadence, Synopsys, or Mentor Graphics for layout, synthesis, and verification, as well as scripting languages such as TCL or Python, is essential. Strong problem-solving, teamwork, and attention to detail are standout soft skills for this role. These skills ensure the efficient translation of circuit designs into manufacturable layouts, driving successful chip development and collaboration in complex engineering environments.

What is the difference between Entry Level Physical Design Engineer vs Digital IC Design Engineer?

AspectEntry Level Physical Design EngineerDigital IC Design Engineer
CredentialsBachelor's in Electrical Engineering or Computer EngineeringBachelor's or Master's in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering
Work EnvironmentDesign teams, CAD tools, chip fabrication facilitiesDesign teams, simulation tools, hardware labs
Industry UsageFoundries, semiconductor companies, EDA firmsSemiconductor companies, integrated circuit design firms
Common Search IntentEntry level, physical implementation, chip layoutDigital logic, circuit design, RTL coding

Entry Level Physical Design Engineers focus on translating digital circuit designs into physical layouts, ensuring manufacturability and performance. Digital IC Design Engineers primarily work on designing digital circuits at the RTL level. While both roles require a background in electrical engineering and involve working with semiconductor companies, physical design emphasizes layout and fabrication, whereas digital design emphasizes circuit functionality and logic.

What are the most commonly searched types of Physical Design Engineer jobs in California? The most popular types of Physical Design Engineer jobs in California are:
What are popular job titles related to Entry Level Physical Design Engineer jobs in California? For Entry Level Physical Design Engineer jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Entry Level Physical Design Engineer jobs in California look for? The top searched job categories for Entry Level Physical Design Engineer jobs in California are:
What cities in California are hiring for Entry Level Physical Design Engineer jobs? Cities in California with the most Entry Level Physical Design Engineer job openings:
Entry Level Physical Design Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Entry Level Physical Design Engineer job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 76% Full Time, 19% Part Time, 1% Temporary, 2% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 97% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 2% Remote job distribution.

GPU Physical Design Engineer

Apple Inc.

Santa Clara, CA • On-site

$180 - $240/hr

Other

Posted 3 days ago

New

Apple rating

8.0

Company rating: 8.0 out of 10

Based on 677 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

7th of 30 rated technology retailers

Job description

Do you love creating sophisticated solutions to highly complex challenges? As part of our Silicon Technologies group, you’ll help design and manufacture our next-generation, high-performance, power-efficient GPU! You’ll ensure Apple products and services can seamlessly handle the tasks that make them beloved by millions! Joining this group means crafting and building the technology that fuels Apple’s devices. Together, we enable our customers to do all the things they love with their devices. This role requires a mix of strategic engineering along with hands-on experience in physical design and large chip integration, being responsible for implementing complete chip design from RTL to tapeout.

Description
  • Work closely with the FE team to understand chip architecture and drive physical aspects early in design cycle.
  • Drive outstanding PD construction and optimization recipes for performance, power and Area (PPA).
  • Work on pioneering designs in the latest technology nodes.
  • Collaborate to drive methodologies and “best known methods” to streamline PD work, come up with guidelines and checklists, drive execution, and supervise progress.
  • Drive the work among place and route engineers, set goals and breakthroughs, plan short and long-term work, understand dependencies between different domains like top, STA, block PnR.
  • Lead and resolve design and flow issues related to physical design, identify potential solutions and drive execution.
Minimum Qualifications
  • BS + 3 years of relevant experience.
  • Experience with one or more of the following: floorplanning partitions, conducting route and placement flow experiments, reviewing static timing, and physical design verification flow results.
Preferred Qualifications
  • We value ability in all aspects of ASIC implementation including Synthesis, DFT insertion, Floorplanning, Clock and Power distribution, Place and Route and all aspects of timing, electrical and physical signoff.
  • Work with FE teams to understand the design architecture to drive optimal floorplanning and physical implementation through early RTL feedback.
  • Use design knowledge and innovative physical construction and optimization flows to push performance, power, and Area (PPA) of GPU designs.
  • Experience with multi-voltage, power gated, and power retention will be an advantage.
  • Practical knowledge with hierarchical design approach, top-down design, budgeting, timing, and physical convergence will be an asset.
  • Experience on integrating IP from both internal and external vendors and able to specify and drive IP requirements in the physical domain.
  • Depth of expertise with large GPU designs (>20M gates) with frequencies in excess of 1GHz applying brand-new technologies.
  • Familiar with various process related design issues including Design for Yield and Manufacturability, multi Vt strategies and thermal management.

Apple is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We seek to promote equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. Learn more about your EEO rights as an applicant

At Apple, we believe accessibility is a fundamental human right. You’ll find that idea reflected in everything here — in our culture, our benefits and our digital tools. By welcoming as many perspectives as possible, we help you build a career where you feel like you belong.

Learn about accessibility in Apple’s workplace

Learn about reasonable accommodations for job applicants

Apple accepts applications to this posting on an ongoing basis.

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About Apple

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

Imagine what you could do here! At Apple, new ideas have a way of becoming extraordinary products, services, and customer experiences very quickly. Bring passion and dedication to your job and there's no telling what you could accomplish. Dynamic, intelligent people and inspiring, innovative technologies are the norm here. The people who work here have reinvented entire industries with all Apple Hardware products. The same real passion for innovation that goes into our products also applies to our practices strengthening our dedication to leave the world better than we found it.

Industry

Computer and electronic product manufacturing

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

Cupertino, CA, US

Year founded

1976

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