CPU Micro-Architect RTL Engineer

Qualcomm

Confirmed live 2 days ago Low trust

Quick summary

Work type: On-site
Location: Austin, TX
Salary: $154,000–$231,000 / yr
Posted: 126 days ago
Freshness: Confirmed live 2 days ago
Closes: Nov 4, 2026
Nearby: 99+ roles within 25 mi

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Salary context

Competitive pay

How this pay compares to similar roles

Similar $192k

This role $192k

$145k most similar roles pay here $242k

This role pays less than 51% of similar roles. Most pay $166,538–$216,562 — the shaded band above. At the midpoint, this role pays about $192k versus about $192k for comparable roles.

Based on 240 similar postings.

Employer

About Qualcomm

Qualcomm is a leading American semiconductor and telecommunications company based in San Diego, CA.

Qualcomm currently has 623 open roles on FindRole.

Listed pay typically runs $148,300–$222,500 across 603 roles with salary data.

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At a glance

TL;DR · CPU Micro-Architect RTL Engineer

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As a CPU Micro-Architect RTL Engineer on the DSP Architecture and Design team, you will contribute to the development of high-performance, energy-efficient Hexagon cores for mobile SoC, Server, IoT, and Automotive applications. You will own microarchitecture and RTL development, focusing on low-power optimizations, performance exploration, and achieving specific area and timing goals. The role involves solving complex technical challenges related to instruction sets, power, thermal, and di/dt issues. Key technical areas include processor pipelines, out-of-order execution, load/store units, caches, cache coherence, memory hierarchy, multi-processor systems, and RISC-V architecture. You will work on these core technologies to drive innovation in modem and AI processing. The position requires expertise in high-performance microprocessor design and RTL design to build robust hardware for diverse applications including AR/XR, audio, and machine learning.

Skills

RTL Design CPU Microarchitecture RISC-V Processor Pipelines Out-of-Order Execution Cache Coherence Memory Hierarchy Multi-threaded Systems Low-Power Optimization

What you'll do

Own the microarchitecture and RTL development for high-performance, energy-efficient CPU cores.
Implement low-power optimizations to meet specific power and thermal requirements.
Conduct performance exploration to optimize processor throughput and efficiency.
Achieve target area and timing goals during the hardware design process.
Develop features for instruction sets, RTOS, and multi-threaded systems.
Design components including processor pipelines, load/store units, and memory hierarchies.
Manage cache coherence and multi-processor system integration.
Address complex di/dt challenges in high-performance SoC designs.

What we're looking for

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field with 4+ years of relevant experience.
Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field with 3+ years of relevant experience.
PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field with 2+ years of relevant experience.
1 to 12 years of experience in CPU architecture and RTL design.
At least 2 years of experience with high-performance microprocessor design.
Experience in areas such as processor pipelines, out-of-order execution, load/store units, caches, memory hierarchy, or RISC-V architecture.
Proficiency in microarchitecture and RTL development including low-power optimizations and performance exploration.
Strong communication, collaboration, and teamwork skills.

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