ASIC RTL Design Engineer

New Grad -ASIC RTL Design Engineer — Physical AI Compute

About Xcelerium

Xcelerium is building the computer foundation for real-time Physical AI — intelligent systems that must process rich sensor data, make decisions, and act under demanding real-world constraints of latency, bandwidth, power, size, and reliability.

We are developing a differentiated compute platform for workloads that span signal processing, AI/ML, linear algebra, optimization, control, and real-time decision-making. Our technology is designed for applications such as autonomous systems, robotics, wireless infrastructure, aerospace and defense, industrial automation, and edge AI.

Xcelerium is led by an experienced team of computer architects, chip designers, and technology leaders with deep backgrounds in advanced SoCs, wireless, AI/ML, compute, and high-volume semiconductor products. This is an opportunity to join a team building advanced silicon for a new class of real-world AI compute.

Location

Primary location: Irvine, CA

This is an on-site role.

Job Type

Full-time, new graduate / entry-level

Compensation

The expected base salary range for this role is $80K - $100K, plus eligibility for bonus/equity/benefits. Final compensation will depend on location, experience, and qualifications.

About the Role

As a New Grad ASIC RTL Design Engineer — Physical AI Compute, you will contribute to the design and implementation of advanced ASIC and SoC technology for Xcelerium’s next-generation compute platform.

This is a broad silicon design role for an exceptional early-career engineer who wants exposure to the full hardware development lifecycle — from architecture exploration and microarchitecture to RTL design, verification, physical design feedback, performance analysis, and silicon-quality design closure.

You will work with leading computer architects and expert chip designers to help build production silicon for a new class of real-time Physical AI compute.

We are looking for highly curious, technically strong, and ambitious engineers who want to learn quickly, contribute deeply, and grow into future leaders in computer architecture and silicon design.

What You’ll Do

• Contribute across the ASIC/SoC development lifecycle, including architecture exploration, microarchitecture, RTL design, verification, implementation feedback, and design closure.
• Help translate real-time Physical AI workload requirements into efficient hardware structures, datapaths, control logic, memory systems, and interconnects.
• Design and implement clean, synthesizable RTL in SystemVerilog or Verilog.
• Participate in high-performance datapath design for compute-intensive, bandwidth-intensive, and latency-sensitive workloads.
• Evaluate design tradeoffs involving latency, throughput, power, area, timing, programmability, reliability, and implementation complexity.
• Work hands-on with simulation, debug, lint, CDC, synthesis, static timing analysis, power analysis, and other ASIC development flows.
• Participate in verification activities, including test plan reviews, debug, assertions, observability, and design-quality improvements.
• Use physical design feedback to improve timing, frequency, area, power, and robustness on advanced silicon process technologies.
• Write clear design documentation, interface specifications, implementation notes, and debug summaries.
• Participate in technical design reviews and learn how advanced silicon is specified, designed, verified, implemented, and brought to production.

What We’re Looking For

• B.S. or M.S. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent hands‑on project or internship experience.
• Strong fundamentals in digital logic, synchronous design, finite state machines, pipelining, timing, and computer architecture.
• Experience writing RTL in Verilog or SystemVerilog through coursework, research, internship, FPGA work, ASIC projects, or personal projects.
• Familiarity with processor architecture, memory hierarchy, caches, buses, interconnects, datapaths, or SoC design concepts.
• Ability to write scripts or software in at least one language such as Python, C, C++, assembly, or a similar language.
• Strong debugging skills and the ability to reason carefully about hardware behavior.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to document design intent and explain technical tradeoffs.
• High ownership, intellectual curiosity, and a desire to learn quickly from experienced engineers.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with CPU, accelerator, memory subsystem, cache controller, DMA, NoC, bus fabric, high-performance datapath, or SoC design projects.
• Familiarity with RISC‑V, ARM, MIPS, or another processor ISA.
• Exposure to ASIC or FPGA flows, including simulation, lint, CDC, synthesis, static timing analysis, power analysis, place‑and‑route feedback, or FPGA implementation.
• Exposure to UVM, SystemVerilog assertions, constrained-random verification, formal verification, or testbench development.
• Interest in real-time systems, robotics, autonomous systems, edge AI, AI acceleration, signal processing, or high-performance embedded compute.
• Experience with Chisel, SpinalHDL, Bluespec, or another hardware construction language.
• Experience with Git, Linux development environments, shell scripting, Make/CMake, or EDA tool automation.
• Research, internship, tapeout, open-source hardware, robotics, accelerator, VLSI, or advanced computer architecture project experience.

Why Join Xcelerium

• Work with leading computer architects and expert chip designers on advanced production silicon.
• Learn the complete path from architecture concept to real hardware implementation.
• Contribute to a differentiated compute platform for real-time Physical AI and autonomy.
• Gain hands‑on experience across RTL design, verification, performance analysis, physical design feedback, and silicon-quality closure.
• Work on high-performance datapaths and digital logic where latency, throughput, power, area, and timing all matter.
• Build experience with advanced process technologies and modern ASIC implementation tradeoffs.
• Join a team that values technical depth, first‑principles thinking, clean implementation, thoughtful documentation, and high ownership.
• Xcelerium is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a team that reflects a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We encourage candidates who are excited by our mission and believe they can contribute to apply.
• This job requires US work authorization
• This job is open to candidates with Curricular Practical Training (CPT)
• This job is open to candidates with Optional Practical Training (OPT)

Degree level

Bachelors/ Masters

School year

Senior

Major groups

ComputerEngineering & Electrical Engineering