Applied Machine Learning Engineer, AI for VLSI Design - New College Grad 2026 - CA, Santa Clara, United States
$116,000 - $230,000 USD yearly
Originally posted 29 September 2026 by the employer.
Our team builds AI-driven software systems for Circuit Design.
About the role
This role involves working within a multi-functional team on projects related to Pre-silicon and Post Silicon custom circuit design, Circuit/Layout Optimization, and Spice correlation.
What you'll do
- Work on projects involving Pre-silicon and Post Silicon custom circuit design and related data
- Research and implement techniques on electronic design automation
- Build and innovate agentic AI solutions for VLSI design problems
- Analyze problems or datasets, validate hypotheses, design and build models and algorithms
What you'll need
- MS or PhD in Electrical/Computer Engineering degree (or equivalent experience)
- Experience in Combinatorial Optimization, Agentic AI and large language models, Machine Learning for Chip Design & EDA
- Background in Algorithms/Data Structures
- Experience in Applied Math/Machine Learning/Software programming with Python, C++
Nice to have
- Prior background in large-scale EDA software development
- Prior experience in CMOS layout drawing, including schematic-to-layout translation and DRC/LVS compliance
Skills: AI-driven software systems, VLSI Design, design automation, DL models, agentic AI, Circuit/Layout Optimization
This role has been open 9 days — well below the 31-day median for EDA/CAD Engineering roles.
EDA/CAD Engineering · AI EDA Design
|
Open roles in category
61
|
Median days open
31 d
|
Median salary
$193k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | NVIDIA | All employers we track in this specialty (61 roles · 24 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 7 | 61 |
| Open roles in the wider Physical Implementation family | 91 | 1485 · 107 employers |
| Median days open | 29 d | 31 d (−2 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $193k |
Skills observed across this category: AI-driven software systems, VLSI Design, design automation, DL models, agentic AI, Circuit/Layout Optimization
Who's hiring in this category
- NXP Semiconductors · 12 open roles · median 58 d
- Keysight Technologies · 7 open roles · median 10 d
- NVIDIA (this employer) · 7 open roles · median 30 d
- Cadence Design Systems · 6 open roles · median 47 d
- Altera · 3 open roles · median 2 d
- Qualcomm · 3 open roles · median 47 d
How we counted: 61 open EDA/CAD Engineering (AI EDA Design) roles from 24 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 10 Oct 2026. Specialty figures count only roles carrying this exact specialty label, so an employer's related work in neighbouring specialties is not included there — it is counted in the wider Physical Implementation family row. Figures refresh nightly.