# Software Engineer, Silicon Design Methodology

**Company:** [OpenAI](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/openai)
**Location:** San Francisco, CA
**Role:** Hardware Engineering
**Salary:** $225k – $380k/yr
**Skills:** C++, Python, Rust, digital design, computer architecture, rtl, soc, eda, CAD, compilers, simulation frameworks, verification systems, APIs, regression testing, systems software
**Posted:** 2026-08-06

> Build software abstractions, infrastructure, and methodologies that accelerate development of complex custom AI silicon. The role partners across architecture, design, verification, performance modeling, and systems software and requires strong systems programming and digital design knowledge.

## Job Description

## Responsibilities
- Develop and scale design methodologies for rapid first-party chip development and apply them to construct complex custom chips.
- Create abstractions for representing hardware structures, configurations, experiments, and results consistently across tools.
- Automate engineering workflows and improve their reproducibility, observability, testability, and usability.
- Partner with architects, RTL designers, verification engineers, compiler engineers, and systems software engineers to gather requirements and implement solutions.
- Identify design risks early and accelerate iteration using methodology and tooling.
- Improve confidence in performance and implementation tradeoffs.
- Contribute across software and hardware development as the silicon program and development methodology evolve.

## Requirements
- Strong software engineering skills in C++, Python, Rust, or similar systems-oriented languages.
- Experience building engineering infrastructure, developer tools, simulation frameworks, EDA/CAD tooling, compilers, or verification systems.
- Understanding of digital design and computer architecture.
- Experience integrating RTL and IP components into an SoC.
- Experience designing APIs, object models, or data models for complex systems.
- Ability to automate multi-stage workflows, build regression systems, and improve reproducibility.
- Ability to reason across architecture, design, verification, performance modeling, and software boundaries.
- Ability to collaborate with domain experts and translate loosely defined needs into durable tools and methodologies.

## Compensation
- Annual salary range: $225,000–$380,000.

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