Sr. Staff Engineer, CPU MidCore RTL Design
Content + Source + Freshness • 12 Dec 2025 • 95% confidence
Offer value
A solid offer for engineers looking to work on high-performance CPU design. Good salary prospects and hands-on experience but requires strong technical knowledge and collaboration skills.
- Salary potential of $100k - $500k/year
- Work on state-of-the-art CPU designs
- Requires solid technical foundation and collaboration
- Welcomes mid-level to senior engineers
Pros
- Competitive salary range ($100k - $500k/year)
- Engagement with cutting-edge CPU technologies
- Potential for substantial personal and professional growth
Cons
- Focus on technical depth may limit appeal for some candidates
- High-pressure environment to meet performance metrics
- Collaborative requirements may be challenging for independent workers
Who it's for
Mid-level / Senior • Hybrid / office with flexibility
Good fit
- Engineers with experience in RTL design
- Technical professionals keen on CPU architecture
- Individuals looking to solve complex engineering problems
Not recommended for
- Entry-level roles not suited here
- Workers seeking isolated conditions
- Candidates without strong technical fundamentals
Motivation fit
Key skills
About the job
Tenstorrent is leading the industry on cutting-edge AI technology, revolutionizing performance expectations, ease of use, and cost efficiency. With AI redefining the computing paradigm, solutions must evolve to unify innovations in software models, compilers, platforms, networking, and semiconductors. Our diverse team of technologists have developed a high performance RISC-V CPU from scratch, and share a passion for AI and a deep desire to build the best AI platform possible. We value collaboration, curiosity, and a commitment to solving hard problems. We are growing our team and looking for contributors of all seniorities.
We are looking for a talented Design Verification engineer to join our CPU design team to define and implement the MidCore block for high-performance CPUs. You’ll work on a from-scratch CPU based on RISC-V ISA, collaborating with DV, PD, and performance teams to deliver a functional, timing, and power-converged design.
This role is hybrid, based out of Austin, TX or Santa Clara CA.
We welcome candidates at various experience levels for this role. During the interview process, candidates will be assessed for the appropriate level, and offers will align with that level, which may differ from the one in this posting.
Who You Are
- Experienced in Out-of-Order CPU microarchitecture with expertise in Rename, Scheduler, ROB, and Datapath.
- Skilled in RTL coding (Verilog/VHDL) and familiar with industry-standard tools for simulation, synthesis, and power analysis.
- Proficient in debugging RTL/logic across multiple design hierarchies and pre/post-silicon environments.
- Background in microarchitecture definition, design specification, and performance-driven trade-off analysis.
What We Need
- Own RTL design and microarchitecture development for a portion of the MidCore block of a high-performance RISC-V CPU.
- Collaborate closely with DV, PD, and performance engineers to meet functional, timing, and power goals.
- Use innovative techniques to optimize power, performance, and area while driving RTL experiments and evaluating results.
- Partner with validation and test teams to ensure robust pre-silicon and post-silicon execution.
- Enhance RTL design environment, tools, and methodologies to improve development efficiency.
What You Will Learn
- End-to-end exposure to CPU design from microarchitecture through timing and power convergence.
- Hands-on experience optimizing Out-of-Order CPU designs in both pre-silicon and post-silicon phases.
- Integration of open-source and industry-standard tools to improve RTL flows and results.
- Work in a deeply technical, highly collaborative team solving cutting-edge CPU design challenges.
Compensation for all engineers at Tenstorrent ranges from $100k - $500k including base and variable compensation targets. Experience, skills, education, background and location all impact the actual offer made.
Tenstorrent offers a highly competitive compensation package and benefits, and we are an equal opportunity employer.
This offer of employment is contingent upon the applicant being eligible to access U.S. export-controlled technology. Due to U.S. export laws, including those codified in the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (EAR), the Company is required to ensure compliance with these laws when transferring technology to nationals of certain countries (such as EAR Country Groups D:1, E1, and E2). These requirements apply to persons located in the U.S. and all countries outside the U.S. As the position offered will have direct and/or indirect access to information, systems, or technologies subject to these laws, the offer may be contingent upon your citizenship/permanent residency status or ability to obtain prior license approval from the U.S. Commerce Department or applicable federal agency. If employment is not possible due to U.S. export laws, any offer of employment will be rescinded.
