# Physical Design Engineer

**Company:** [OpenAI](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/openai)
**Location:** San Francisco, CA
**Role:** Hardware Engineering
**Salary:** $266k – $445k/yr
**Experience:** 2+ years
**Skills:** Physical Design, Rtl Design, Python, Bazel, Tcl, Physical Synthesis, Pnr, Lec, Power Estimation, Timing Closure
**Posted:** 2025-12-05

> Develops tools, flows, and methodologies for physical implementation of AI accelerator silicon blocks. Owns floorplanning to signoff, optimizes PPA, and collaborates with RTL designers. Requires BS/MS/PhD with 2-4+ years in physical design.

## Job Description

## In this role, you will:
- Develop, build and own tools, flows and methodologies for physical implementation
- Own physical implementation of floorplan blocks from floorplanning to final signoff
- Collaborate with RTL designers to drive optimal block implementation solutions
- Analyze and optimize design for timing, power, and area trade-offs, working in collaboration with EDA vendors and ASIC partners

## Qualifications:
- BS w/ 4+ or MS with 2+ years or PhD with 0-1 year(s) of relevant industry experience in physical design and methodology development
- Demonstrated success in taping out complex silicon designs
- Hands-on experience with block physical implementation and PPA convergence
- Strong coding experience with python, bazel, TCL
- Strong experience building physical design tools, flows and methodologies
- Strong understanding of microarchitecture, RTL design, physical design, circuit design, physical verification and timing closure
- Deep familiarity with industry-standard tools and flows for physical synthesis, PNR, LEC and power estimation

## Bonus:
- Experience with AI or HPC-focused chips
- Experience with optimizing PPA for high performance compute cores
- Hands-on experience with top-level design methodologies

## Similar roles

- [Flight Test Instrumentation Engineer (R5009)](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/be0804ed-9b30-430e-84a3-dbfc97e3006a) - Shield AI - Wichita, KS - $150k – $230k/yr
- [Electrical Engineer](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/15dd3b5a-436a-43af-abbb-f8be08c508eb) - Atomicmachines - Santa Clara, CA - $140k – $185k/yr
- [Research Engineer - Robotic Hardware, Simulation and Data](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/f7ea3c44-ec4b-42c9-a86e-ca49c9078231) - Applied Intuition - Sunnyvale, CA - $126k – $423k/yr
- [Mechanical Engineer](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/09ed2983-4a51-434b-969e-a9ec95e108c7) - Parallel Systems - Los Angeles, CA - $125k – $150k/yr
- [Engineer (Formula SAE Track)](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/51e7e200-e686-490f-80fe-914e65ae6494) - Icarus - El Segundo, CA - $120k – $160k/yr

**Apply:** https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/191b2e00-999f-4425-9c31-9425e6fe0957
**Canonical:** https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/191b2e00-999f-4425-9c31-9425e6fe0957