Silicon Chip Lead, SI Hardware

About the role

• Silicon Chip Lead, SI Hardware | Tesla (Tesla SI)
• Location: Austin, Texas | Req ID: 280062 | Job Type: Full-time
• What to Expect

The Tesla SI Hardware team is at the forefront of revolutionizing artificial intelligence through cutting-edge hardware innovation. Comprising brilliant engineers and visionaries, the team designs and develops advanced SI inference chips tailored to accelerate Tesla’s machine learning capabilities.

A key part of this effort is Dojo, Tesla's custom supercomputer system built to efficiently train massive neural networks on vast video data from the fleet. The work of Tesla's SI Hardware team powers the neural networks behind Full Self-Driving (FSD), and Tesla humanoid robot, Optimus, pushing the boundaries of computational efficiency and performance.

By creating custom silicon and optimized architectures, the team ensures Tesla remains a leader in AI-driven automotive and energy solutions, shaping a future where intelligent machines enhance human life. We're looking for a Silicon Chip Lead to own the technical direction and execution of our SI processors — from architecture and RTL through verification, tapeout, silicon bring-up, and product integration.

You'll lead a team of chip designers and verification engineers, set technical standards, and work cross-functionally with firmware, systems, and product teams to ship silicon that meets performance, power, and cost targets.

What You'll Do

• Work with our chip architecture and micro-architecture teams in partnership with systems and product stakeholders to extend our SI roadmap across auto, datacenter, and robot.
• Enable RTL design, verification strategy, and sign-off across the SoC or IP blocks in your charge
• Enable tapeout process: synthesis, place-and-route coordination, timing closure, DFT, and foundry engagement
• Enable silicon bring-up and debug, working closely with firmware and test engineering
• Own schedule, risk tracking, and technical tradeoff decisions (power/performance/area/cost) for your program
• Interface with EDA vendors, IP vendors, and foundry/fab partners
• Report technical status and risks to engineering leadership

What You'll Bring

• 8+ years in ASIC/SoC design or verification, with at least 2+ years leading a team or program
• Track record of taking a chip through tapeout to production silicon
• Strong fundamentals in digital design, RTL (Verilog/SystemVerilog), and verification methodologies (UVM or equivalent)
• Experience with physical design flow (synthesis, timing closure, DFT) and working with foundry partners
• Comfortable making power/performance/area tradeoffs and communicating them to non-hardware stakeholders
• Strong debugging skills across simulation, emulation, and post-silicon bring-up
• Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field, or equivalent experience
• Track record of managing schedules and ongoing tradeoffs between schedule and performance
• Ability to anticipate technical and schedule problems before they happen