
CPU Implementation Engineer
Required skills
- CPU
- micro-architecture
- RTL
- PPA
- synthesis
- place and route
- timing closure
- STA
- floorplanning
- LVS
Role summary
Apple is seeking a CPU Implementation Engineer in Austin, Texas. This role involves working with micro-architects to define CPU micro-architectures, performing design feasibility, and optimizing for power, performance, and area (PPA). Responsibilities include driving RTL-to-GDS convergence using synthesis and place-and-route tools, managing backend flows, ensuring electrical requirements, and improving silicon yield. The engineer will collaborate with CAD and methodology teams on tool features and adoption, and with cross-functional teams on CPU floorplan, timing, power, reliability, and testability. The role also requires co-optimizing memory macros and standard cells with custom IP teams to enhance PPA. A Master’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering or related field is required, along with experience in CPU micro-architecture design, PPA analysis, structured data-path implementation, timing closure, floor-planning, place-and-route, and physical design verification.
Description
APPLE INC has the following available in Austin, Texas. Work extensively with micro-architects to define the micro-architecture, perform design feasibility and do power, performance, and area (PPA) trade-offs. Drive RTL-to-GDS design convergence through microarchitecture and logic (RTL) optimizations using synthesis and place-and-route tools targeting ambitious goals for PPA. Design block-level delivery along with closure of backend flows, electrical requirements and improving silicon yield. Work closely with internal CAD and PD methodology teams on industry standard synthesis/PNR tool features and optimizations and their adoption in CPU design. Work with cross-functional top-level teams on the aspects of CPU floorplan, timing, power, reliability, and testability. Work closely with custom IP teams to define and co-optimize memory macros, library standard cells to improve design PPA. 40 hours/week.
Minimum Qualifications
Master’s degree or foreign equivalent in Electrical and Computer Engineering or related field. Experience and/or education must include: Designing and optimizing CPU micro-architectures by collaborating with RTL team. Analyzing and figuring out trade-offs for CPU micro-architectural features across performance, area, timing, power, and complexity metrics, providing quantitative assessments to guide architectural decisions to achieve PPA targets within specification. Implementing structured data-path designs using industry-standard synthesis flows, maintaining logic equivalence, performing power intent validation and timing closure through Static Timing Analysis. Generating comprehensive timing constraints for synthesis, PnR, and STA tools supporting multi-GHz designs, ensuring high timing closure success rates and reducing design iteration cycles. Executing floor-planning strategies including hierarchical pin placement and macro positioning for CPU designs, optimizing power grid distribution to achieve IR drop closure while meeting area utilization targets. Applying advanced place-and-route techniques to achieve timing closure on critical paths, while meeting area density targets and optimizing dynamic and leakage power. Developing and executing ECO methodologies to resolve timing violations, noise issues, and EMIR problems, achieving high ECO success rates and reducing design closure time. Managing physical design verification flows to achieve zero LVS and DRC violations.
Preferred Qualifications
N/A
Sample Apple interview questions
- 1
Design a typeahead box for a search engine
system designmedium - 2
Design a rate limiter
system designmedium - 3
Architect a key-value store for distributed systems.
system designmedium - 4
Design a system to schedule jobs in a distributed environment
system designmedium - 5
What is an API and how does it work?
technicalmedium
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