ASIC RTL Design Engineer, AI Math & Computer Hardware

Tesla’s AI hardware team is seeking a highly motivated ASIC RTL Design Engineer with a specialization in the mathematical and computational aspects of custom AI accelerators. You will focus on designing high-performance, power-efficient RTL for math-intensive components that power our AI training and inference systems. This role emphasizes expertise in tensor operations, matrix computations, and optimized data paths for advanced AI workloads. This role is located in Palo Alto, CA or Austin, TX. If you are passionate about pushing the boundaries of low-precision arithmetic, quantization techniques, and hardware acceleration for machine learning, this is your opportunity to contribute to revolutionary AI hardware.

• Micro-architect and implement RTL for specialized math units, including tensor cores, matrix multiplication engines, and SIMD (Single Instruction, Multiple Data) data paths
• Optimize designs for low-precision math operations (e.g., FP8, INT4/8) to maximize throughput while maintaining accuracy for AI models
• Develop and integrate block quantization formats, such as those used in model compression, ensuring seamless hardware support for quantized neural networks
• Design look-up tables (LUTs) for efficient approximation of non-linear functions, activation functions, and other compute-intensive operations
• Collaborate with AI architects and software teams to define functional requirements for math-heavy pipelines, focusing on data flow, parallelism, and precision trade-offs
• Perform RTL coding in Verilog/SystemVerilog, with an emphasis on modular, reusable designs for complex arithmetic units
• Participate in design reviews, simulation, and verification to ensure correctness of math operations under various edge cases, including overflow, underflow, and quantization errors
• Analyze performance metrics (e.g., area, power, latency) for math datapaths and propose optimizations to meet aggressive AI hardware targets
• Work closely with physical design and verification teams to bring designs from concept to silicon, with a focus on high-speed, high-density compute blocks

• Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, a related field, or equivalent experience
• 3+ years of experience in ASIC RTL design, with a proven track record in math-oriented hardware components for AI/ML accelerators (e.g., GPUs, TPUs, or custom ASICs)
• Deep understanding of tensor cores and matrix multiplication architectures, including systolic arrays, GEMM optimizations, and fused multiply-add (FMA) units
• Expertise in data path design for SIMD/VLIW processors, including vector registers, ALU pipelines, and parallelism techniques
• Hands-on experience with low-precision math, including floating-point and integer formats, rounding modes, and error analysis for AI applications
• Familiarity with block quantization formats (e.g., per-tensor, per-channel quantization) and their implementation in hardware for efficient inference
• Proficiency in using look-up tables for function approximation, such as in sigmoid/tanh activations or transcendental functions
• Strong skills in Verilog/SystemVerilog, with experience in synthesis tools (e.g., Synopsys DC) and simulation environments (e.g., VCS, Verdi)
• Knowledge of AI frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch) and how hardware math units interact with software kernels is a plus
• Excellent problem-solving abilities, with a passion for optimizing compute efficiency in resource-constrained environments

Benefits

Along with competitive pay, as a full-time Tesla employee, you are eligible for the following benefits at day 1 of hire:

• Medical plans > plan options with $0 payroll deduction
• Family-building, fertility, adoption and surrogacy benefits
• Dental (including orthodontic coverage) and vision plans, both have options with a $0 paycheck contribution
• Company Paid (Health Savings Accounts) HSA Contribution when enrolled in the High-Deductible medical plan with HSA
• Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• 401(k) with employer match, Employee Stock Purchase Plans, and other financial benefits
• Company paid Basic Life, AD&D
• Short-term and long-term disability insurance (90 day waiting period)
• Employee Assistance Program
• Sick and Vacation time (Flex time for salary positions, Accrued hours for Hourly positions), and Paid Holidays
• Back-up childcare and parenting support resources
• Voluntary benefits to include: critical illness, hospital indemnity, accident insurance, theft & legal services, and pet insurance
• Weight Loss and Tobacco Cessation Programs
• Tesla Babies program
• Commuter benefits
• Employee discounts and perks program

Expected Compensation

$120,000 – $264,000/annual salary + cash and stock awards + benefits

Pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package for this position may also include other elements dependent on the position offered. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.