CPU Core RTL Design Engineer - TX, Austin, United States
Originally posted 8 July 2026 by the employer.
About the role
As a CPU Core RTL Design Engineer within AMD's central core RTL team, you will design and optimize processor cores supporting products across client, server, and AI platforms. You will develop core pipeline logic and microarchitecture features with potential alignment to areas such as load/store or decode.
What you'll do
- Design and implement RTL for CPU core pipeline components and related logic. - Contribute to microarchitecture definition for processor cores. - Collaborate with architecture, verification, and performance teams to deliver optimized designs. - Analyze and improve performance, power, and timing characteristics. - Support design verification, synthesis, timing closure, and physical design efforts. - Debug and resolve pre-silicon and post-silicon issues.
What you'll need
- Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field. - Understanding of modern CPU architecture, especially out-of-order cores. - Experience with logic design and high-speed processor pipeline development. - Ability to balance performance, power, and timing considerations in processor design.
Nice to have
- Experience with Verilog/SystemVerilog RTL development in CPU, SoC, or ASIC environments. - Experience with load/store units or similar core subsystems. - Knowledge of power-efficient and low-power design techniques, including timing and power optimization. - Familiarity with synthesis, place-and-route, and timing closure. - Experience debugging and optimizing designs in collaboration with performance and verification teams. - Exposure to the full product lifecycle, from architecture through post-silicon debug. - Familiarity with physical design, scripting (e.g., Python, Tcl), and concepts such as DFT, clocking, reset, and power management.
This role has been open 103 days — well above the 62-day median for Digital/RTL Design roles.
Digital/RTL Design · RTL Design
|
Open roles in category
1051
|
Median days open
62 d
|
Median salary
$185k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, and who else is hiring
| Metric | AMD | All employers we track in this specialty (1051 roles · 105 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 72 | 1051 |
| Open roles in the wider Digital Design & Verification family | 253 | 3244 · 116 employers |
| Median days open | 42 d | 62 d (−20 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $185k |
Who's hiring in this category
- Qualcomm · 150 open roles · median 57 d
- Synopsys · 84 open roles · median 35 d
- AMD (this employer) · 72 open roles · median 42 d
- Analog Devices · 49 open roles · median 53 d
- NXP Semiconductors · 42 open roles · median 89 d
- NVIDIA · 40 open roles · median 62 d
How we counted: 1051 open Digital/RTL Design (RTL Design) roles from 105 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 21 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 Digital Design & Verification family row. Figures refresh nightly.