Engineer, IC Design

Ayar Labs

Ayar Labs

Design

San Jose, CA, USA

USD 120k-160k / year

Posted on Nov 1, 2025
Position: Engineer, IC Design
Location: San Jose, CA
Job Id: 480
# of Openings: 0

Engineer, IC Design

Location: San Jose (on-site required)

This engineer will be responsible for the development of subsystems in an electro-optical system-on-chip (SoC). They are expected to contribute to the efforts of a small IC development team consisting of Analog/Mixed-Signal, Photonics, and ASIC engineers. The ideal candidate is a hands-on self-starter who can craft specifications based on input from colleagues, customers, and industry, effectively manage schedules to take projects to completion with limited supervision and guidance, and gain new skill sets to grow with the company.


KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
  • Develop electrical and optical components, circuits, and systems as part of a silicon design team
  • Automate and improve design methodologies and/or test flows
  • Bring-up, evaluation, and debug of in-house custom silicon using python scripting, firmware, and control systems
  • Hands-on work with high-speed interconnects and optical systems


Basic Qualifications:
  • BS or MS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related fields
  • Proficient in Python or other scripting languages
  • Proficient in working with hardware in lab environments
  • Familiar with integrated circuits and systems


Preferred Qualifications:
  • Hands-on experience working and interacting with digital SoCs
  • Knowledge of low-level programming languages (C, C++), microcontroller platforms
  • Experience with chip tapeouts and new silicon bring-up
  • Working knowledge of Verilog, digital timing, and ASIC tool flows
  • Working knowledge of Cadence Virtuoso design environment
  • Some knowledge of optics, photonics, or control systems
Salary Range: $120,000 - $160,000
NOTE TO RECRUITERS:
Principals only. We are not accepting resumes from recruiters for this position. Remuneration for recruiting activities is only applicable subject to a signed and executed agreement between the parties. Please don’t send candidates to Ayar Labs, and do not contact our managers.

About Ayar Labs:

At Ayar Labs we’re about to revolutionize computing by moving data with light. We’re unleashing processing power for artificial intelligence, high performance computing, cloud and telecommunications by removing the bottlenecks created by today’s electrical I/O -- making it possible to continue scaling computing system performance. Ayar Labs is the first to deliver an optical I/O solution that combines in-package optical I/O chiplets and multi-wavelength remote light sources to replace traditional electrical I/O. This silicon photonics-based I/O solution enables chips to communicate with each other from millimeters to kilometers, to deliver orders of magnitude improvements in latency, bandwidth density, and power consumption.
With our strong collaborations with industry leaders and government, our deep ties to MIT and UC Berkeley, and our commitment to hiring the best engineers in photonics and electronics, joining our team gives you the opportunity to collaborate with renowned experts on challenging, paradigm-shifting work.
We are passionate about delivering in-package optical I/O at scale, leveraging the strength of our patent portfolio and our team of leading interdisciplinary experts. We believe that deep cross-collaboration between teams facilitated by honest, open debate is the best way to drive innovation and achieve big wins. Join our team and experience the possibilities.
Resources:
Executives from Intel and GLOBALFOUNDRIES share their thoughts on Ayar Labs and the promise of in-package optical I/O (video)
Ayar Labs in the News and Recent announcements
LinkedIn and Twitter

Ayar Labs is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer and is strongly committed to all policies which will afford equal opportunity employment to all qualified persons without regard to age, sex, national origin, race, color, ethnicity, creed, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. It is the policy of Ayar Labs to provide reasonable accommodation when requested by a qualified applicant or employee with a disability, unless such accommodation would cause an undue hardship. Veterans are more than welcome and encouraged to apply.

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