Join the leading chiplet startup! As an Eliyan Staff Digital Design Engineer, you will be working at a fast-paced early-stage startup creating technologies that fuel tomorrow's chiplet-based systems with best-in-class power, area, manufacturability, and design flexibility. In this role you will lead the frontend design of our D2D PHY - the core tech behind NuLink, our chiplet interconnect platform. You'll own the digital PHY from microarchitecture through synthesis, working closely with our architecture, analog, verification, and physical design teams. This is a hands-on technical leadership role. You'll define PHY architecture, write RTL, optimize for synthesis, create timing constraints, develop firmware sequences, and ensure clean integration across the stack. Your work directly enables next-gen chiplet-based AI and HPC systems. We offer a fun work environment with excellent benefits. ONSITE M-F.
Key Responsibilities:
Architecture & RTL Design
Own D2D PHY digital design from microarchitecture definition through synthesis and PD handoff
Design data path and clocking architecture for UCIe-compliant advanced package PHY
Write RTL for link training, calibration engines, rate adaptation, CDC, FIFO alignment, and lane deskew
Create microarchitecture specs with power analysis, latency metrics, and performance characterization
Make architectural trade-offs balancing performance, power, area, and timing
Synthesis & Optimization
Drive synthesis optimization: area, timing, power, QoR
Create comprehensive SDC constraints for multi-clock domains, false paths, multi-cycle paths, CDC
Generate UPF power specifications with voltage domains, isolation, and retention
Establish LINT/CDC flows with rulesets and waiver management
Deliver synthesis-ready netlists with handoff documentation for physical design
Technical Leadership & Collaboration
Coordinate with analog PHY team on digital control for TX/RX, PLL, calibration
Partner with verification team on testbench requirements, coverage goals, and protocol compliance
Collaborate with physical design on placement guidelines, clock tree requirements, routing constraints
Work with firmware team on register interfaces, link training sequences, runtime control
Mentor 2-3 digital designers on frontend design and synthesis optimization
Drive design reviews and technical decisions across teams
Required Qualifications:
8+ years digital frontend design with 4+ years in PHY or high-speed interfaces
3+ successful tapeouts as design lead in advanced nodes (7nm or below)
Deep expertise in D2D PHY, DDR PHY, or SerDes digital design
Expert SystemVerilog RTL design with strong synthesis optimization skills
Strong understanding of UCIe or other high-speed interfaces like DDR/Serdes
Advanced CDC design, link training protocols, elastic buffer architectures
Hands-on with synthesis tools (Synopsys DC/Fusion Compiler or Cadence Genus)
Experience with SDC constraints, UPF, STA methodology
Proven ability to lead frontend design and coordinate across teams
Preferred Qualifications:
12+ years with demonstrated technical leadership
UCIe PHY design or certification experience
DDR4/DDR5/LPDDR PHY or DFI interface experience
SerDes digital control (TX/RX equalization, CDR), PCIe PHY, or CXL PHY experience
Advanced packaging knowledge: 2.5D, 3D, organic substrate
Firmware development for PHY control or low-level driver implementation
Python/Perl/Tcl scripting for design automation
Publications or patents in PHY design
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