About the job
About Etched
Etched builds the first AI inference system tailored for transformers. The company’s custom ASICs deliver over 10x the performance of standard solutions, with lower costs and latency than a B200. These chips enable products like real-time video generation models and advanced reasoning agents. Etched is backed by major investors and staffed by engineers focused on reshaping AI infrastructure.
Role Overview: Design Verification Engineer - SoC
This San Jose-based role sits within the Systems and Performance Verification team. The Design Verification Engineer ensures Etched’s custom IPs, including systolic arrays, DMA engines, and NoCs, are ready for silicon. The work spans verifying performance, collaborating with architects and designers, and supporting the entire hardware-software stack. Expect to tackle complex verification challenges alongside colleagues in architecture, RTL, and software/firmware.
What You Will Do
- Work with architects and RTL designers to verify performance features against models, both before and after silicon.
- Collaborate with software teams to spot and resolve performance bottlenecks.
- Create test plans and develop tools for performance tuning, correlation, and verification.
- Maintain and improve architectural performance models.
- Write tests in SystemVerilog, Python, or vectors to debug and align RTL with performance models.
- Develop checkers in SystemVerilog or Python to verify performance features.
- Implement coverage monitors and analyze results to ensure thorough testing.
- Investigate and tune performance issues on silicon.
- Lead end-to-end performance tuning to optimize hardware use, software efficiency, and architectural fit across the ASIC design lifecycle.
What Makes a Strong Candidate
- Understanding of digital design, RTL, and ASIC design flows.
- Hands-on experience with performance verification tools and methodologies.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
- Comfort working on several projects at once and adapting to shifting priorities.

