1. Lead – High Performance ARM Core Hardening
Job Title: Lead Engineer – ARM Core Hardening
Location: BLR/Hyd
Experience: 8–12 years
Technology Node: 5nm/3nm/2nm FinFET/GAA
Reports To: Director/Technical Manager – SoC Implementation
Key Responsibilities:
Lead end-to-end RTL-to-GDSII hardening of ARM Cortex-A/X/Neoverse cores (single and multi-cluster).
Collaborate with RTL, CAD, DFT, low power, and architecture teams to define floorplan and implementation strategy.
Own full flow: floorplanning, power planning (UPF-based), placement, CTS, routing, ECO, timing closure, physical verification, and signoff.
Drive design quality metrics: PPA (Performance, Power, Area), DRC/LVS clean, IR drop, EM, and thermal-aware optimization.
Architect physical implementation methodology tailored to ARM hardening: hierarchical flow, black-boxing strategy, physical partitioning, clocking architecture.
Interface with foundry and EDA vendors for process tech enablement and tool issues.
Technical Skills:
Deep understanding of ARM core microarchitecture (pipeline, fetch/decode, FPU/NEON, L1/L2 cache).
Expert in Synopsys/Cadence tools: ICC2/Fusion Compiler, Tempus/Innovus, Primetime, StarRC, RedHawk/Totem.
Advanced clock tree design: CCOpt, custom H-trees, mesh, and multi-source CTS.
Experience with UPF-based low power flows and Conformal Low Power (CLP) verification.
Familiarity with physical-aware DFT and scan compression (test-mode aware synthesis/placement).
Familiar with physical architecture trade-offs (voltage islands, power domains, channel management).
Knowledge of EMIR, thermal, aging-aware closure in HPC-class cores.
Experience taping out at 5nm or lower is mandatory.
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2. Engineer – ARM Core Hardening
Job Title: Physical Design Engineer – ARM Core Hardening
Location: BLR/Hyd
Experience: 3–8 years
Technology Node: 5nm/3nm/2nm FinFET/GAA
Key Responsibilities:
Implement physical design of ARM core and subsystems from RTL to GDSII.
Responsible for floorplanning, placement, CTS, routing, timing and physical closure of core logic.
Perform static timing analysis, IR/EM validation, and physical verification.
Optimize for frequency, leakage, and area within power and thermal budgets.
Support integration of hardened cores into SoC top-level environment.
Technical Skills:
Good understanding of ARM core architecture and pipeline structure.
Experience in Synopsys or Cadence PnR and signoff tools (ICC2, Fusion Compiler, Innovus, PT, RedHawk).
Experience in UPF flows, CPF/UPF constraints, and low-power verification tools.
Good in timing ECOs, DFT integration, scan reordering and hold fixing in low power designs.
Strong debugging skills: congestion, IR drop, setup/hold, crosstalk, antenna, and DRC.
Familiar with scripting (TCL, Python, Perl) to automate flows and reports.
Work Experience
Lead – High Performance ARM Core Hardening
Experience working with ARM POP (Processor Optimization Pack) or ARM Artisan Physical IP.
Worked with multi-core cluster hardening and coherent interconnects (e.g., CMN-600).
Experience with RTL-based performance modeling and correlation with implementation
ARM Core Engineer:
ARM POP usage experience.
Previous tapeout at ≤7nm.
Exposure to hierarchical and multi-voltage designs.
Familiarity with advanced floorplanning constraints for multi-core clusters.