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Fpga Emulation Jobs (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 ...

FPGA Engineer

Tucson, AZ · On-site

$122K - $157K/yr

FPGA Engineer Develop FPGA designs including: Xilinx, Altera,and Microsemi. Designs are implemented ... emulation platforms, such as Veloce #CJ

Senior Emulation Engineer

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

$200K - $500K/yr

You'll set up and optimize emulation flows on industry-leading platforms and partner with ... Contribute to FPGA prototyping, pre-silicon validation, and post-silicon debug. * Apply modern ...

Senior Emulation Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$150 - $200/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 ...

ASIC Digital Design Engineer Lead

Austin, TX · On-site

$134K/yr

Hands-on experience with FPGA emulation, silicon bring-up, characterization or debug. Preferred Qualifications 10+ Years of relevant industry experience. Experience with mixed signal design.

You'll set up and optimize emulation flows on industry-leading platforms and partner with ... Contribute to FPGA prototyping, pre-silicon validation, and post-silicon debug. * Applymodern tools ...

Senior Emulation Engineer

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

$200K - $300K/yr

You'll set up and optimize emulation flows on industry-leading platforms and partner with ... Contribute to FPGA prototyping, pre-silicon validation, and post-silicon debug. * Apply modern ...

Senior Emulation Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$150 - $200/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 ...

Principal FPGA Engineer (DOD cleared)

Tucson, AZ · On-site

$122K - $157K/yr

This role supports the FPGA lifecycle from requirements and architecture through VHDL coding ... Experience with emulation platforms such as Veloce. * Strong technical documentation and review ...

Senior FPGA Engineer (DOD cleared)

Tucson, AZ · On-site

$122K - $157K/yr

This role covers the full FPGA lifecycle from requirements and architecture through VHDL coding ... Experience with emulation platforms such as Veloce. * Strong technical documentation and review ...

Emulation Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$55 - $60/hr

Strong hands-on experience with Palladium/ZeBu emulation platforms. * Good knowledge of ... Experience with FPGA prototyping is an added advantage. Skills: * Strong problem-solving and ...

Showing results 21-40

Fpga Emulation information

See salary details

$70K

$147.1K

$210.5K

How much do fpga emulation jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 9, 2026, the average yearly pay for fpga emulation in the United States is $147,056.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $123,000.00 and $169,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is FPGA emulation?

FPGA emulation is the process of using Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) to mimic the behavior of digital circuits or systems, often for the purpose of verifying hardware designs before they are manufactured. This allows engineers to test and debug their designs in a real hardware environment, which is faster and more accurate than software simulation alone. FPGA emulation is commonly used in the development of complex systems-on-chip (SoCs), as it helps catch design errors early and speeds up the overall verification process. It bridges the gap between software simulation and physical prototyping, providing a high-performance and flexible platform for hardware validation.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an FPGA emulation engineer?

To thrive as an FPGA Emulation Engineer, you need a solid background in digital design, hardware description languages (like VHDL or Verilog), and experience with FPGA architectures, typically supported by a degree in electrical engineering or a related field. Familiarity with emulation platforms such as Mentor Graphics Veloce, Synopsys ZeBu, or Cadence Palladium, as well as debugging and verification tools, is essential. Strong problem-solving abilities, attention to detail, and effective communication skills help you collaborate with design and verification teams. These skills ensure accurate hardware validation, efficient bug detection, and smooth integration within complex chip development cycles.

What are some common challenges faced by FPGA emulation engineers during project development?

FPGA Emulation Engineers often encounter challenges such as debugging complex hardware-software interactions, optimizing emulation speed for large-scale designs, and ensuring accurate synchronization between emulated components. The role typically involves collaborating closely with design, verification, and software teams to resolve issues quickly and maintain project timelines. Staying up-to-date with evolving tools and methodologies is crucial, as is strong communication to coordinate across multidisciplinary teams.

What is the difference between Fpga Emulation vs Fpga Design Engineer?

AspectFpga EmulationFpga Design Engineer
Required CredentialsBachelor's or Master's in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related fields; certifications like Certified FPGA EngineerBachelor's or Master's in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related fields; certifications like Certified FPGA Engineer
Work EnvironmentUses specialized hardware platforms for testing and validation; often in labs or R&D facilitiesDesigning, coding, and simulating FPGA architectures; typically in design teams or R&D labs
Industry UsagePrimarily in verification, validation, and system integration phasesInvolved in the development, optimization, and implementation of FPGA designs

While both roles require similar educational backgrounds and certifications, Fpga Emulation focuses on testing and validation using specialized hardware, whereas Fpga Design Engineers concentrate on creating and optimizing FPGA architectures. Understanding these differences helps clarify career paths and job expectations in the FPGA industry.

More about Fpga Emulation jobs

What other helpful pages are available for Fpga Emulation?

Other pages related to Fpga Emulation:

Infographic showing various Fpga Emulation job openings in the United States as of September 2026, with employment types broken down into 79% Full Time, and 21% Contract. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $147,056 per year, or $70.7 per hour.

Senior Principal Engineer - Emulation & Prototyping

California, MO • On-site

$150 - $200/hr

Other

Posted 7 days ago


Key responsibilities

  • Design, build, and optimize system level emulation and FPGA prototyping platforms for various design sizes and types.

  • Own bring-up, debug, and optimization of design models on emulation and FPGA systems, and develop methodologies for prototyping flows.

  • Support silicon bring-up and participate in vendor engagements to improve platform capabilities and tool usage.


Job description

GSME is seeking an experienced Senior Principal Engineer to contribute to our world-class emulation and FPGA prototyping organization. This strategic technical individual contributor leadership role will drive pre-silicon validation across a wide range of our designs --- from IP blocks (controllers, accelerators, interfaces) to multi-billion-gate SoCs targeting AI/ML, automotive, data-center, networking, and high-performance computing markets.
As a senior technical expert in emulation and/or FPGA prototyping, you will develop and deploy advanced methodologies, own major platform components, ensure seamless transition from RTL to working silicon for internal and customer projects, and be the mentor and coach for other team members.

Key Responsibilities

Design, build, and optimize system level emulation and FPGA prototyping platforms capable of handling designs from IP modules to large multi-billion-gate SoCs.

Own bring-up, debug, and optimization of system level design models onto commercial emulation systems and FPGA prototyping systems.

Develop and implement methodologies for IP-level, SoC-level, and System-level prototyping flows, including:

High-speed interface bring-up in emulation or prototyping environment

Emulation/FPGA specific modifications

Drive adoption of advanced system-level pre-silicon validation use cases with emulation and prototyping including early software/firmware development and co-verification, power estimation and optimization, performance characterization, etc.

Establish efficient flows for design iterations --- from IP validation to full-chip SoC tape-out readiness.

Perform complex debug of hardware/software issues using advanced tools (Verdi, DVE, Vivado Hardware Manager, SignalTap, transaction viewers, JTAG/trace debuggers). · Collaborate with various customer RTL design/verification/software teams to resolve design issues and performance challenges.

Mentor mid-level and senior engineers on technical topics and best practices; contribute to team technical direction.

Evaluate new tools, platforms, and technologies to improve platform capabilities and turnaround time.

Support silicon bring-up by assisting with transition of emulation/prototyping environments to lab hardware and initial silicon validation.

Participate in vendor technical engagements to address platform needs and optimize tool usage.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

Masters degree in electrical/computer engineering with 15+ years industry experience.

Recognized expert in multiple domains with hands-on industry experience in hardware emulation and FPGA prototyping, with proven success on designs ranging from IP blocks to large SoCs. Proven ability to work with customers/partners is a big plus.

Strong experience with two or more leading commercial emulation/prototyping platforms from Cadence, Siemens, and/or Synopsys.

Solid experience with multi-FPGA partitioning, synthesis, place-and-route, and timing closure.

Strong proficiency in Verilog/SystemVerilog, RTL synthesis tools (Synopsys DC, Cadence Genus), static timing analysis, and RTL debug.

Proven track record with bring-up and debug of one or more high-speed interfaces: like PCIe Gen5/6, CXL, DDR5, HBM3/3E, Ethernet 400/800G, UCIe.

Solid scripting and automation skills (Python, Perl, Tcl, Bash, Makefile/CMake) for flow development and testing.

Demonstrated ability to mentor and guide other engineers on technical work.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with power-aware emulation, transaction-level modeling (TLM), virtual platforms (SystemC TLM-2.0), or hybrid emulation/virtual platform flows.

Familiarity with formal verification, UVM, coverage-driven verification, or low-power design methodologies.

Hands-on experience with x86/ARM/RISC-V subsystems, BIOS/firmware bring-up, and OS-level software validation on prototypes.

Prior work on AI/ML accelerators, automotive SoCs (ADAS, zonal), data-center chips, or networking ASICs.

Patents, publications, or contributions to industry standards in emulation/prototyping.

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