ASIC Chip Design Lead

Eridu is a Silicon Valley-based hardware startup pioneering infrastructure solutions that accelerate training and inference for large-scale AI models. Today’s AI performance is frequently limited by system-level bottlenecks. Eridu AI delivers multiple industry-first innovations across semiconductors, software, and systems to unlock greater GPU utilization, reduce capital and power costs, and maximize data center efficiency. The company’s solutions and value proposition have been validated by several leading hyperscalers.

The company is led by a veteran team of Silicon Valley executives and engineers with decades of experience in state-of-the-art semiconductors, optics, software, and systems, including serial entrepreneur Drew Perkins, co-founder of Infinera (NASDAQ: INFN), Lightera (acq. by Ciena), Gainspeed (acq. by Nokia) and Mojo Vision (World’s leading micro-LED company and developer of the first augmented reality contact lens).

We are seeking a hands-on ASIC Chip Design Lead to own chip design execution from micro-architecture through full-chip integration and timing signoff. This role sits between senior individual contributor and technical lead: you will personally drive RTL and micro-architecture while providing execution leadership across design, verification, and physical design teams.

This is a highly technical, roll-up-your-sleeves role for someone who has taken chips to tape-out, understands what breaks late in the cycle, and knows how to drive designs to closure in a fast-paced startup environment.

• Write, review, and debug production-quality RTL in Verilog/SystemVerilog
• Own RTL blocks end-to-end from specification through signoff
• Make timing-, area-, and power-aware design decisions at the RTL and micro-architecture levels
• Perform detailed code reviews and set a high technical bar for RTL quality

• Draft detailed micro-architecture specifications derived from architecture documents and feature requirements
• Translate high-level requirements into implementable pipelines, control logic, datapaths, interfaces, and corner-case handling
• Clearly define performance, latency, and resource tradeoffs to unblock RTL and verification execution

• Work closely with Physical Design to improve synthesis and place-and-route timing.
• Iterate on RTL, hierarchy, micro-architecture, and floorplanning to address timing, congestion, and QoR issues
• Analyze synthesis and P&R reports and proactively drive timing, area, and power improvements

• Partner with Design Verification to debug functional and performance issues
• Review functional and code coverage and provide actionable feedback
• Own bugs from discovery through fix, validation, and closure

• Own full-chip RTL integration and block roll-up
• Run chip-level synthesis, define constraints, and close chip-level timing
• Deliver timing-clean netlists to Physical Design that meet performance targets

• Drive block- and chip-level design checklists as execution quality gates
• Review checklist status with designers and proactively push closure of open items
• Continuously refine design methodologies, checklists, and flows based on silicon learnings
• Lead by technical authority and hands-on execution rather than coordination alone

• Strong hands-on experience with RTL design and micro-architecture
• Proven experience with full-chip integration and timing closure
• Led at least one full-chip tape-out within the last 3 years, with direct responsibility for design signoff and PD handoff
• Deep understanding of synthesis, static timing analysis, and physical-design collaboration
• Experience refactoring and restructuring RTL to resolve timing, area, and congestion challenges
• Comfortable working cross-functionally with architecture, verification, firmware, and physical design teams
• Demonstrated ability to drive execution in ambiguous, fast-moving environments

• Silicon bring-up experience, including post-silicon debug and RTL-to-silicon correlation
• Hands-on experience defining and refining SDC constraints and improving post-layout timing
• Knowledge of high-performance networking architectures and Ethernet-based systems
• Familiarity with Ultra Ethernet and/or UCIe chip-to-chip interconnect protocols
• Experience with chiplet-based system design

At Eridu, you’ll have the opportunity to shape the future of AI infrastructure, working with a world-class team on groundbreaking technology that pushes the boundaries of AI performance. Your contributions will directly impact the next generation of AI networking solutions, transforming data center capabilities. 

The starting base salary for the selected candidate will be established based on their relevant skills, experience, qualifications, work location, market trends, and the compensation of employees in comparable roles.