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Physical Design Engineer Intern Jobs (NOW HIRING)

The PJF Group

Physical Design Engineer

Bodega Bay, CA

$180K - $230K/yr

We're looking for a hands-on Physical Design Engineer to support complex SoC projects for our client who designs and delivers advanced System-on-Chip solutions across multiple emerging technologies.

The PJF Group

Physical Design Engineer

Bodega Bay, CA · On-site

$161K - $166K/yr

We're looking for a hands-on Physical Design Engineer to support complex SoC projects for our client who designs and delivers advanced System-on-Chip solutions across multiple emerging technologies.

Talent 101, Inc.

Physical Design Engineer

Frisco, TX · On-site

$127K - $131K/yr

This is a full time position with our company doing Physical Design Engineering. What you'll do * Lead end to end Physical Design from floorplan to GDS * Own full PnR flow: placement, CTS, routing ...

Intel

Physical Design Engineer

Phoenix, AZ

$135K - $139K/yr

Join Intel as a Physical Design Engineer and play a pivotal role in shaping the future of custom IP and SoC designs. As part of our dynamic team, you will work on cutting-edge technology to implement ...

New

Mirafra Technology

Physical Design Engineer

San Diego, CA

$144K - $148K/yr

Job Overview: The Graphics team is looking for Experienced Physical Design Engineers to work on Adreno Graphics cores in the area of Physical Implementation. Responsibilities: The Physical ...

Gumloop

Design Engineer Intern

San Francisco, CA · On-site

Role Overview We're looking for a Product Design Engineering Intern to help shape, design, and build high-craft product experiences end to end. This role sits at the intersection of product, design ...

Intel

$135K - $139K/yr

Join Intel as a Physical Design Engineer and play a pivotal role in shaping the future of custom IP and SoC designs. As part of our dynamic team, you will work on cutting-edge technology to implement ...

New

Intel

$135K - $139K/yr

Join Intel as a Physical Design Engineer and play a pivotal role in shaping the future of cutting-edge semiconductor technology. In this role, you will be at the forefront of designing custom IP and ...

New

Intel

Physical Design Engineer

Phoenix, AZ · On-site

$135K - $139K/yr

Join Intel as a Physical Design Engineer and play a pivotal role in shaping the future of cutting-edge semiconductor technology. In this role, you will be at the forefront of designing custom IP and ...

New

Etched

Physical Design Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$150K - $275K/yr

Job Summary Etched is looking for exceptional Physical Design engineers to join our team. In this role, you will own block-level implementation and verification, drive timing closure and PPA ...

Xforia, Inc.

Physical Design Engineer

Sunnyvale, CA · On-site

$162K - $166K/yr

Physical Design Engineer Location: Sunnyvale, CA Note: Highlighted skills are must to have. JD: • 10+ years of hands-on experience for block level Implementation activities(Netlist to GDS II and ...

Etched

Physical Design Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$150K - $275K/yr

Job Summary Etched is looking for exceptional Physical Design engineers to join our team. In this role, you will own block-level implementation and verification, drive timing closure and PPA ...

Hudson River Trading

Physical Design Engineer

Austin, TX · On-site

$134K - $138K/yr

Hudson River Trading (HRT) is seeking a Physical Design Engineer with a broad, versatile skillset to join our growing Hardware team. In this role, you will help deliver performance-critical ASICs and ...

Nvidia Corporation

Physical Design Engineer

Westford, MA · On-site

$141K - $145K/yr

NVIDIA is looking for best-in-class Senior Physical Design Engineers to join our outstanding Networking Silicon engineering team, developing the industry's best high speed communication devices ...

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Physical Design Engineer Intern information

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How much do physical design engineer intern jobs pay per hour?

As of Jul 11, 2026, the average hourly pay for physical design engineer intern in the United States is $19.31, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $16.11 and $20.91 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Physical Design Engineer Intern, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Physical Design Engineer Intern, you generally need a solid background in electrical engineering, digital circuit design, and semiconductor fundamentals, often supported by ongoing university studies in a related field. Familiarity with industry-standard EDA tools such as Cadence, Synopsys, or Mentor Graphics, as well as scripting languages like TCL or Python, is highly valuable. Attention to detail, problem-solving abilities, and effective teamwork are crucial soft skills for excelling in this role. These skills and qualifications are important because they ensure accurate chip layouts, efficient workflows, and successful collaboration within complex engineering teams.

What types of projects and tasks can a Physical Design Engineer Intern expect to work on during their internship?

As a Physical Design Engineer Intern, you will typically be involved in supporting the design and verification of integrated circuits at the physical level. Common tasks include assisting with floorplanning, placement and routing, timing analysis, and running design rule checks using industry-standard EDA tools. You may also participate in team meetings, collaborate with senior engineers, and help resolve issues related to power, performance, and area optimization. These hands-on experiences are designed to help you build practical skills and gain a deeper understanding of the physical design flow in VLSI chip development.

What does a Physical Design Engineer Intern do?

A Physical Design Engineer Intern assists in the process of transforming a circuit design (RTL) into a real, manufacturable layout for semiconductor chips. They work on tasks such as floorplanning, placement, routing, timing analysis, and verifying that the chip design meets all physical and electrical requirements. Interns typically use electronic design automation (EDA) tools to perform these tasks and collaborate with experienced engineers. Their work is crucial in ensuring that chips are both functional and manufacturable at scale.

What is the difference between Physical Design Engineer Intern vs Digital Design Engineer Intern?

AspectPhysical Design Engineer InternDigital Design Engineer Intern
Required CredentialsTypically pursuing or holding a degree in Electrical Engineering or Computer EngineeringTypically pursuing or holding a degree in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering
Work EnvironmentDesigning and implementing physical chip layouts, working with EDA toolsDesigning digital logic circuits, working on HDL coding and simulation
Industry UsageFoundries, semiconductor companies, integrated circuit design firmsSemiconductor companies, integrated circuit design firms, tech companies

Physical Design Engineer Interns focus on translating digital logic designs into physical layouts for chips, working closely with EDA tools. Digital Design Engineer Interns concentrate on creating and simulating digital logic circuits using hardware description languages. Both roles are essential in chip development but differ in their specific tasks and focus areas.

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Physical Design Engineer Intern jobs near you
Infographic showing various Physical Design Engineer Intern job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 89% Full Time, 8% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 87% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 10% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $40,174 per year, or $19.3 per hour.
Physical Design Engineer - 2202599

Physical Design Engineer - 2202599

Ethan Alexander Group

Cupertino, CA

$167K - $172K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 12 hours ago

Job description

Physical Design Engineer


Building AI chips that are hard-coded for individual model architectures.


Physical Design Engineer 

Seeking exceptional PD engineers to join our team. The candidate will be responsible for working with 3rd party design services to implement and verify physical designs, and will help as we work to improve iteration speed on physical design.


Representative projects:

  • Supervise the outsourcing of physical design to a 3rd party service
  • Deeply understand what is involved in physical design
  • Running Physical Design flows to close blocks, support ASIC infrastructure, automate Physical Design flows, improve CAD infrastructure
  • Drive dashboards that show the convergence of projects related to Physical Design
  • Optimize tool flows, working with EDA vendors to incorporate the latest features
  • Accountable for block level closure


Requirements:

  • 2+ years of previous experience with PD
  • Tools, flow, and design methodology from RTL synthesis to GDSII sign-off
  • Experience with back-end design and timing closure on 3nm-7nm
  • Experience with UPF-based low power design methodology, power verification, synthesis, scan insertion/ATPG, formal verification, floorplanning, placement, CTS, routing, IR drop, and EM/antenna analysis
  • Deeply creative and able to think from first principles


Desired qualifications:

  • Familiarity with transformer models and machine learning.
  • Familiarity with OpenROAD and other automated RTL-to-GDSII flows
  • ​Ability to program with Python or another scripting language.