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Physical Design Intern Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Tenstorrent University Jobs

$50/hr

As a Physical Design Intern, you'll work hands-on from synthesis through tapeout, collaborating with top engineers to optimize some of the most advanced silicon in the world. This role is onsite ...

Etched

PD Intern

San Jose, CA · On-site

Job Summary As a Physical Design intern for Etched, you will be responsible for realizing our front-end designs in silicon, helping Etched to improve iteration speed to final signoff. You will assist ...

Etched

PD Intern

San Jose, CA · On-site

Job Summary As a Physical Design intern for Etched, you will be responsible for realizing our front-end designs in silicon, helping Etched to improve iteration speed to final signoff. You will assist ...

Sunday Inc

Industrial Design Intern

Redwood City, CA · On-site

What to Expect As an Industrial Design Intern, you'll work closely with our industrial design and ... We're looking for someone who is excited about robot design, passionate about physical products ...

Qorvo, Inc.

RFIC Design Intern

San Diego, CA · On-site

$31 - $42/hr

Contributing to the design of multiple functional blocks including millimeter-wave (mmW) LNAs, PAs ... on physical location) Posted salary ranges are made in good faith. Qorvo reserves the right to ...

Qorvo, Inc.

RFIC Design Intern

San Diego, CA · On-site

$31 - $42/hr

Contributing to the design of multiple functional blocks including millimeter-wave (mmW) LNAs, PAs ... on physical location) Posted salary ranges are made in good faith. Qorvo reserves the right to ...

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Physical Design Intern information

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How much do physical design intern jobs pay per hour?

As of Sep 12, 2026, the average hourly pay for physical design intern in California is $19.12, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $14.23 and $21.35 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a physical design intern?

A Physical Design Intern assists in the back-end design and implementation of integrated circuits (ICs). Responsibilities typically include floorplanning, placement, routing, timing analysis, and power optimization. Interns work with tools like Cadence or Synopsys and collaborate with design and verification teams to meet performance, power, and area goals. This role provides hands-on experience with the ASIC or FPGA design flow, helping interns develop industry-relevant skills.

What kinds of projects or tasks can I expect as a physical design intern?

As a Physical Design Intern, you can expect to assist with tasks such as floorplanning, placement and routing, timing analysis, and design rule checking as part of the ASIC or SOC development flow. You'll typically work closely with experienced physical design engineers, learning industry-standard tools and participating in meetings where design challenges and optimization strategies are discussed. Interns may also be given opportunities to automate tasks through scripting or contribute to documentation for internal processes. This role provides a hands-on introduction to the semiconductor industry and allows you to gain practical skills that are highly valuable for entry-level positions or future specialization within chip design.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a physical design intern?

To thrive as a Physical Design Intern, you should have a solid understanding of digital integrated circuit fundamentals, basic knowledge of VLSI concepts, and be working toward a degree in electrical or computer engineering. Familiarity with EDA tools such as Cadence, Synopsys, or Mentor Graphics, as well as scripting languages like TCL or Python, is highly advantageous. Strong analytical thinking, attention to detail, and effective communication skills will set you apart when collaborating with team members and troubleshooting complex design issues. These skills are crucial for ensuring high-quality chip designs that meet performance, area, and power requirements in real-world hardware development.

What are the most commonly searched types of Physical Design jobs in California?

The most popular types of Physical Design jobs in California are:

What are popular job titles related to Physical Design Intern jobs in California?

For Physical Design Intern jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Physical Design Intern jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Physical Design Intern jobs in California are:

What cities in California are hiring for Physical Design Intern jobs?

Cities in California with the most Physical Design Intern job openings:

Physical Design Intern jobs near you
Infographic showing various Physical Design Intern job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 77% Full Time, 17% Part Time, 2% Temporary, 2% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 98% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 1% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $39,777 per year, or $19.1 per hour.

Physical Design Intern - CPU/AI Hardware

Tenstorrent University Jobs
See more jobs at Tenstorrent University Jobsexternal

$50/hr

Internship

Re-posted 25 days ago

Job description

Join a team shaping the performance of next-gen CPUs and AI/ML chips. As a Physical Design Intern, you'll work hands-on from synthesis through tapeout, collaborating with top engineers to optimize some of the most advanced silicon in the world. 

This role is onsite, based out of Austin, TX or Santa Clara, CA.

Who You Are

  • Currently pursuing a BS, MS, or PhD in EE, ECE, CE, or CS
  • Solid understanding of logic design, VLSI, and transistor-level concepts
  • Familiar with PnR tools, timing analysis, and power optimization techniques
  • Comfortable scripting in Tcl, Perl, Shell, or Python

What We Need

  • Support key physical design tasks-synthesis, floorplanning, PnR, clocking, timing closure
  • Analyze and improve design PPA (Power, Performance, Area)
  • Collaborate with front-end, PD, and architecture teams to influence early design decisions
  • Explore and implement new flows, tools, or RTL experiments to optimize designs

What You Will Learn

  • End-to-end physical design flow-from RTL handoff to final tapeout
  • Deep dive into timing, power, EM/IR, and area trade-offs
  • Industry-standard tools and techniques for modern chip development
  • How top-tier silicon teams operate at scale

Compensation for all engineers at Tenstorrent ranges from $50/hr - 70/hr including base and variable compensation targets. Experience, skills, education, background and location all impact the actual offer made.

Tenstorrent offers a highly competitive compensation package and benefits, and we are an equal opportunity employer.

Apply