CPU Pre-Silicon Verification Engineer

Job Description

As a CPU Pre‑Silicon Verification Engineer, you will help ensure the quality, functionality, and readiness of Intel's next‑generation CPU cores that power some of the world's most advanced computing platforms. In this role, you will develop and execute validation strategies that verify complex CPU designs before silicon manufacturing. Working across architecture, design, verification, and platform teams, you will identify and resolve issues early in the product lifecycle, helping deliver industry‑leading performance, power efficiency, and product quality.

Your work will directly contribute to Intel's future client, AI, and high‑performance computing products, playing a key role in bringing innovative processor technologies to market.

• Define, develop, and execute pre‑silicon validation plans for Intel CPU core designs.
• Validate CPU functionality, microarchitecture behavior, and system‑level feature interactions across simulation, emulation, and FPGA environments.
• Develop validation content, test scenarios, and infrastructure to improve coverage and identify functional issues early in the product lifecycle.
• Apply coverage‑driven validation techniques to ensure comprehensive verification of complex processor designs.
• Review architecture and design changes to assess validation impacts, risks, schedules, and test requirements.
• Collaborate with architecture, design, verification, and platform engineering teams to optimize product quality and validation effectiveness.
• Perform debug, root cause analysis, and failure triage for functional issues discovered during validation.
• Develop and enhance validation methodologies, automation frameworks, checkers, monitors, and validation tools.
• Analyze validation results, publish findings, and provide recommendations to improve future designs and validation strategies.
• Contribute to silicon readiness activities by identifying and resolving issues before manufacturing.
• Support end‑to‑end product development across multiple phases of the CPU lifecycle.

• Technical Problem Solving – Uses analytical thinking to investigate complex design and validation challenges.
• Ownership and Accountability – Takes responsibility for deliverables and drives issues through resolution.
• Collaboration – Builds strong partnerships across architecture, design, validation, and platform teams.
• Communication – Clearly communicates technical findings, risks, and recommendations.
• Adaptability – Excels in a dynamic environment with evolving technologies and priorities.
• Continuous Learning – Maintains curiosity and develops expertise in CPU architecture, validation methodologies, and emerging technologies.

The following are minimum qualifications and experience required for this position. Preferred qualifications are in addition to the minimum requirements and are considered a plus factor in identifying top candidates.

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or other Science/Engineering related field and 5+ years of experience in pre‑silicon verification and/or front end, or Master’s Degree in the same field and 3+ years of experience in pre‑silicon verification and/or front end.
• Experience with software/programming languages (e.g., C, C++, C#, Visual Basic/.NET, Perl, Python, Java).
• Experience with System Verilog/Verilog/VHDL, verification, validation and/or VCS or similar simulator.
• Experience developing comprehensive pre‑silicon validation test plans, translating architecture and design specifications into validation objectives, test scenarios, coverage models, execution strategies, and sign‑off criteria.

This role is part of Intel’s CPU Design Team within the Silicon and Platform Engineering Group (SPE). The team validates complex CPU microarchitectures, develops advanced validation methodologies, and ensures design quality from concept through silicon.