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Pre Silicon Validation Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

... to engineer test content for new CPU features • Create CPU validation test plans, ensuring all ... pre-silicon (FPGAs) and post-silicon (development boards) • Debug functional silicon failures ...

... to engineer test content for new CPU features • Create CPU validation test plans, ensuring all ... pre-silicon (FPGAs) and post-silicon (development boards) • Debug functional silicon failures ...

... to engineer test content for new CPU features • Create CPU validation test plans, ensuring all ... pre-silicon (FPGAs) and post-silicon (development boards) • Debug functional silicon failures ...

... to engineer test content for new CPU features • Create CPU validation test plans, ensuring all ... pre-silicon (FPGAs) and post-silicon (development boards) • Debug functional silicon failures ...

... to engineer test content for new CPU features • Create CPU validation test plans, ensuring all ... pre-silicon (FPGAs) and post-silicon (development boards) • Debug functional silicon failures ...

Silicon Validation Engineer

Folsom, CA · On-site

$179K - $200K/yr

Join Intel as a Silicon Validation Engineer, where you will play a pivotal role in ensuring the functionality, performance, and reliability of Intel's cutting-edge silicon products and technologies.

As a DDR Silicon Validation Engineer, you will be at the forefront of innovation, performing critical lab characterization and validation of advanced analog and mixed-signal embedded circuits. This ...

We have an opportunity for a forward-thinking and especially motivated Analog Mixed Signal IP Silicon Validation Engineer! As a member of our dynamic group, you will have the rare and great ...

Showing results 41-60

Pre Silicon Validation Engineer information

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$22

$51

$78

How much do pre silicon validation engineer jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 14, 2026, the average hourly pay for pre silicon validation engineer in the United States is $52.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $39.42 and $63.22 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a pre silicon validation engineer?

A Pre-Silicon Validation Engineer is responsible for verifying and testing semiconductor designs before they are manufactured. They work with simulation tools, emulation platforms, and testbenches to ensure that the hardware design meets functional and performance requirements. Their role involves writing validation plans, creating test scenarios, running simulations, and debugging design issues. This helps identify and fix design flaws early in the development process, reducing costly errors in later stages of production. They collaborate closely with design, verification, and software teams to ensure a smooth transition to silicon fabrication.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the pre silicon validation engineer position, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Pre Silicon Validation Engineer, you need strong expertise in digital design, computer architecture, and verification methodologies, typically backed by a degree in electrical or computer engineering. Experience with hardware description languages (HDLs) like Verilog or VHDL, familiarity with simulation/emulation tools, and sometimes knowledge of scripting languages such as Python or Perl are highly valued. Analytical thinking, attention to detail, and effective communication skills are crucial for pinpointing design issues and working closely with cross-functional teams. These abilities are vital to ensure early detection and resolution of design flaws, leading to more robust and efficient chip development cycles.

What are common day-to-day responsibilities for a pre silicon validation engineer?

As a Pre Silicon Validation Engineer, your typical day involves developing and executing test plans to verify digital design functionalities before manufacturing. You’ll collaborate with design, verification, and firmware teams to identify and debug issues using simulation and emulation platforms. Daily tasks often include writing and running testbenches, analyzing results, and documenting any bugs or inconsistencies found in the design. This role requires a proactive approach in communication and frequent problem-solving to ensure the product meets all specifications prior to fabrication.

More about Pre Silicon Validation Engineer jobs

What states have the most Pre Silicon Validation Engineer jobs?

States with the most job openings for Pre Silicon Validation Engineer jobs include:

Infographic showing various Pre Silicon Validation Engineer job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 76% Full Time, and 24% Contract. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $108,152 per year, or $52 per hour.

CPU Silicon Validation Engineer

Apple

Austin, TX

Full-time

Re-posted 8 days ago


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

Imagine what you could do here. At Apple, new ideas have a way of becoming extraordinary products, services, and customer experiences very quickly. Dynamic, intelligent people and inspiring, innovative technologies are the norm here. The same passion for innovation that goes into our products also applies to our practices strengthening our commitment to leave the world better than we found it. Do you want to join us in these pursuits? Join us to help deliver the next groundbreaking Apple product!
In this role, you will be at the center of a chip design effort that collaborates with many disciplines and has a critical impact on getting functional products to millions of customers. You will be part of a team responsible for the functional validation of our CPUs, with the aim of identifying logic design and circuit bugs. You will be developing CPU test content using our test generators, defining new test cases for our cutting-edge CPU designs, and spearheading our silicon bring-up efforts.
Description
• Work closely with CPU RTL and DV teams to understand changes to our CPU designs and to engineer test content for new CPU features
• Create CPU validation test plans, ensuring all key features are covered
• Develop SW workloads to stress test the CPU and integrate these into our existing validation environments
• Help maintain and improve our random test generator by adding support for new CPU architectural and microarchitectural features
• Drive the bring-up and execution of our silicon validation tools in pre-silicon (FPGAs) and post-silicon (development boards)
• Debug functional silicon failures closely with Design and DV counterparts
Preferred Qualifications
BS or MS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or Computer Engineering
Understanding of CPU architecture including instruction sets, pipelines, caches, and memory subsystems
Experience with assembly programming (ARM ISA is a plus)
Knowledge of operating system fundamentals including kernel execution, privilege levels, memory management, and virtual machines
Good understanding of the logic design and verification process
Background in silicon bring-up and system debug experience is a plus
Strong problem-solving skills
Minimum Qualifications
Minimum BS and 3+ years of relevant industry experience
Experience with CPU architecture
Experience in programming in C or C++ and scripting in Python or Perl

What Apple employees say

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Get the full story on Breakroom


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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