Debug/Trace/Profiling Design Engineer

The Role:

SiFive is seeking a hardware design engineer who is passionate about designing industry-leading debug, trace and profiling IP to help drive the tidal wave of adoption of RISC-V as the architecture of choice for SOC designs across a broad variety of vertical applications. We’re creating a highly customizable line of processor cores with fast time-to-market by designing the hardware as highly configurable generators. We're leveraging technology and ideas from the software industry to execute hardware design with the speed and agility of software development. This role focused on debug, trace and profiling will be especially vital to SiFive’s effort to create silicon at the speed of software across our entire IP portfolio, including Essential, Intelligence, Performance, and Automotive product lines.

We build and maintain our RISC-V processor subsystem IP using the Chisel hardware construction library embedded in the Scala language, and are seeking a motivated individual to lead enhancement of our existing debug/trace/profiling hardware as well as development of new capabilities in this area. Additionally, there are opportunities to engage with customer, partners and tools vendors to help determine the future of the debug, trace and profiling solutions, as well as opportunities to engage with the RISC-V International Association to help drive the state of the art of debug strategy.

The successful applicant will address the following challenges:

• Designing the best debug, trace and profiling hardware in the world, based on the revolutionary open RISC-V and TileLink architectures.

• Mastering the art of designing hardware as configurable generators in a domain-specific software language for elaborating digital logic.

• Working in a fast-paced dynamic environment to bring new hardware IP to market quickly, with high quality and exceptional performance.

Responsibilities

• Architect, design and implement debug, trace and profiling hardware.

• Work with architecture, performance, software and hardware teams in architecture/microarchitecture exploration and specification.

• Implement RTL generators such that elements self-configure to optimally design-in extensive configurability as a first-class consideration.

• Integrate new design content into SiFive’s Chisel/FIRRTL framework and contribute to improvements to that framework to enable automatic configuration/generation of documentation, verification testbenches and tests, and packaged software.

• Perform initial sandbox verification, and work with design verification team to create and execute thorough verification test plans.

• Ensure that knowledge is shared via creation and maintenance of great documentation and participation in a culture of collaborative design

• Knowledgeable in debug, trace and profiling architecture and concepts.

• Knowledgeable in debug interfaces, JTAG, cJTAG.

• Knowledgeable in CPU architectures, power management and SoC design.

• Experience in debugging tools, profiling methods.

• Proficiency with hardware (RTL) design in Verilog, System Verilog, or VHDL.

• Attention to detail and a focus on high-quality design.

• Ability to work well with others and a belief that engineering is a team sport.

• Knowledge of at least one object-oriented and/or functional programming language.

• Knowledge of one or more of: Chisel/Scala, RISC-V architecture, Git/Jira/Confluence is a plus.

• 7+ years of industry experience leading and directly contributing to architecture, microarchitecture and RTL design for debug/trace/profiling hardware for high-performance processors.

• MS/PhD in EE, CE, CS or a related technical discipline.

Pay & Benefits

Consistent with SiFive values and applicable law, we provide the following information to promote pay transparency and equity. We have a market-based pay structure which varies by location.  Please note that the base pay range is a guideline, and our compensation range reflects the cost of labor in the U.S. geographic market based on the location of the role. Pay within these ranges varies and depends on job-related knowledge, skills, and relevant work experience. 

For candidates who receive and offer, the starting salary will vary based on various factors including, but not limited to, such qualifications as, skill level, competencies, and work location.  The range provided may represent a candidate range and may not reflect the full range for an individual tenured employee.

Base Pay Range

In addition to base pay, this role may be eligible for variable/ incentive compensation and/ or equity.  In addition, this role is eligible for a comprehensive, competitive benefits package which may include healthcare and retirement plans, paid time off, and more! 

Additional Information:

This position requires a successful background and reference checks and satisfactory proof of your right to work in

Any offer of employment for this position is also contingent on the Company verifying that you are a authorized for access to export-controlled technology under applicable export control laws or, if you are not already authorized, our ability to successfully obtain any necessary export license(s) or other approvals.