Physical Design Engineer – JD

About Semifive

Founded in Seoul in 2019, SEMIFIVE is basing its foundation on Korea’s semiconductor design competency that was amassed for more than 20 years. With expertise spanning front-end to back-end design, SEMIFIVE has become the fastest growing silicon design company that offers the most comprehensive design solutions. SEMIFIVE’s core business is its innovative SoC Platform that enables low-cost and high-efficiency SoC design, and also provides full turnkey design services for global customers through its diverse network.

As the cost of developing an SoC and the demand for customized silicon continue to grow rapidly, SEMIFIVE’s SoC Platform will play a key role in turning cutting-edge ideas into silicon. SEMIFIVE, hand in hand with global innovation leaders, is growing as a leading partner for future SoC designs, and thereby becoming: The New Global Hub of Custom Silicon.

Semifive India Design Centre, headquartered in Bangalore, is our rapidly growing capability centre that plays a pivotal role in delivering complex SoC programs for global customers. The India team is at the forefront of RTL-to-GDS design execution, IP creation, and turnkey silicon delivery, working closely with worldwide teams to bring next-generation SoCs to production.

Key Responsibilities

Physical Implementation (Hands-On Execution)

- Perform end-to-end physical design tasks including:
- Synthesis
- Floorplanning and partitioning
- Power planning
- Placement & routing
- CTS
- Timing closure across all corners
- Physical verification (DRC/LVS)




- Drive ECO implementation for timing, power, and functional fixes.

Timing, Power & Area Optimization
- Carry out STA using PrimeTime or equivalent tools.
- Analyze and resolve:
- Setup/hold violations
- Clock skew / cross-corner issues
- SI / IR drop / EM concerns
- Perform trade-offs across PPA targets to achieve signoff-quality results.

Advanced Node Experience
- Work with leading process nodes such as 12nm, 7nm, 5nm, 3nm, or equivalent FinFET technologies.
- Apply low-power techniques including multi-VDD, multi-Vt, power gating, and UPF-based flows.

Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Work closely with global RTL, DFT, STA, Power, Packaging, and Signoff teams to enable smooth integration.
- Support design reviews, internal checkpoints, and tapeout preparation activities.
- Provide technical inputs during block integration, constraint development, and top-level signoff.

Deliverables & Execution Quality
- Own the block-level or subsystem-level implementation from RTL handoff to GDS signoff.
- Ensure delivery quality for:
- Timing
- Power integrity
- Reliability
- Physical verification
- Contribute to methodology improvements and automation where needed (optional, not leadership-driven).

Qualifications





- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics, VLSI, or related field.
- 5+ years of hands-on experience in ASIC Physical Design.
- Strong expertise in:
- Synopsys ICC2 / Cadence Innovus
- PrimeTime (STA)
- Calibre / Pegasus for physical verification
- Voltus / Redhawk for power integrity (preferred)
- Proven experience taking designs through PnR cycles and achieving timing/DRC/LVS closure.
- Familiarity with UPF flows and multi-voltage domain design.
- Good analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
- Ability to work independently in a fast-paced, cross-site engineering environment.

Preferred Skills

- Exposure to SoC-level assembly or hierarchical design flows.
- Experience with the Qualification section.
- Understanding of packaging constraints and their impact on physical design (bonus).

Why Join Us?

At Semifive, the SoC PnR Lead plays a pivotal role in delivering first-time-right silicon. Unlike traditional large semiconductor companies where physical design roles can be narrowly scoped, Semifive offers broad ownership and real technical influence across the entire RTL-to-GDS flow.

You will work on multiple cutting-edge SoCs, partner with world-class teams across geographies, and help shape the physical design methodologies of a rapidly growing global organization.

This role offers the opportunity to define how complex silicon is physically realized at Semifive, while mentoring the next generation of physical design leaders.

📌 Physical Design Engineer (Bengaluru)
🏢 SEMIFIVE
📍 Bengaluru