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Design Verification (DV) Engineer

Mountain View, CA

ITAR Notice: This role involves access to ITAR-controlled information. Applicants must be U.S. persons (U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, asylees, or refugees) per 22 CFR 120.62.

About the role

You will own functional verification of our custom AI accelerator's digital logic — writing testbenches, building verification environments, debugging waveforms, and driving coverage closure. You'll work in SystemVerilog and UVM with industry-standard simulators (Synopsys VCS, Cadence Xcelium) and waveform viewers (Synopsys Verdi). Your work ensures that the design is correct before tape-out — every bug you find in verification is a bug that doesn't cost millions to fix in silicon.

What you'll do

  • Build the UVM verification environment for the custom accelerator — develop the testbench architecture, constrained-random stimulus generators, scoreboards, and coverage models
  • Write directed and constrained-random tests targeting compute pipeline, NOC routing, memory subsystem, and control plane logic
  • Debug RTL mismatches using waveform analysis in Verdi/DVE — isolate root causes and file clear bug reports against the design team
  • Drive functional coverage closure — define coverage goals, track progress, identify verification holes
  • Develop assertion-based verification (SVA) monitors for protocol compliance (APB, AXI, SPI, JTAG interfaces)
  • Validate ISA-level correctness — ensure the LLVM backend's generated code executes correctly on the RTL design
  • Establish regression infrastructure — automated nightly runs, pass/fail reporting, coverage merging

What we're looking for

  • SystemVerilog — expert-level proficiency in both RTL reading and verification constructs (classes, interfaces, constraints, covergroups). This is your primary language.
  • UVM — you've built or significantly extended UVM environments. You understand agents, sequences, scoreboards, and the factory pattern.
  • Logic simulation — hands-on experience with Synopsys VCS, Cadence Xcelium, or equivalent. You know how to debug simulation failures efficiently.
  • Waveform debugging — proficient with Synopsys Verdi, Cadence SimVision, or equivalent. You can trace signal transitions through a multi-thousand-line design and isolate issues.
  • Verification methodology — you understand coverage-driven verification, constrained-random testing, and know how to build a verification plan that catches real bugs.
  • (Optional) Formal verification experience (property checking, model checking)
  • (Optional) SVA assertion writing for protocol and microarchitectural properties
  • (Optional) Coverage analysis and closure experience on a tape-out project
  • (Optional) Python or Tcl scripting for regression automation and log parsing
  • (Optional) RISC-V ISA familiarity (our control plane uses RISC-V)
  • (Optional) Experience verifying processor or accelerator designs specifically

Compensation

Base salary: $180k – $320k USD per year, depending on experience and qualifications. Final offers depend on level, location, and skills relevant to the role. Additional compensation: equity grant per company guidelines; medical / dental / vision; 401(k); standard PTO. Discussed in detail during the interview.

Visa sponsorship

DensityAI sponsors qualified candidates for H-1B, O-1, TN, E-3, and other employment-based visas, and we welcome applicants on F-1 OPT and STEM-OPT. Work authorization is required at start; we provide immigration support to secure or transfer status.

Export controls

Aspects of this role may involve access to information subject to U.S. export controls (EAR/ITAR). We may discuss licensing or scope adjustments during the interview.

Equal Opportunity

DensityAI is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age (40+), sexual orientation, military or veteran status, pregnancy, or any other status protected by law. We comply with the California CROWN Act and provide reasonable accommodations on request.

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