SoC Interconnect and Fabric RTL Designer

SoC Interconnect and Fabric RTL Designer Responsibilities

• Define on-chip fabric topologies connecting the multiple subsystems
• Specify the data-path fabric for the high-bandwidth routes: bandwidth provisioning, pipeline depth, buffering strategy, and back-pressure propagation between major subsystems.
• Architect the register-access fabric with address decoding and access-protection logic.
• Define the arbitration and QoS policy for shared fabric resources: priority assignment per traffic class, bandwidth reservation, and starvation-prevention mechanisms.
• Own the fabric error-handling architecture: how illegal accesses, timeouts, and protocol violations are detected, logged, and reported to the management subsystem.
• Own the CDC strategy for every clock-domain boundary on the die and documenting the timing constraints for each.
• Own or closely review all fabric RTL: bus bridges, async FIFOs, arbiters, address decoders, and pipeline registers that form the on-chip interconnect.
• Drive integration assembly: own the top-level connectivity netlist that instantiates all major blocks and wires them through the fabric, serving as the integration point of truth.
• Coordinate with subsystem leads align on interface protocols, handshake semantics, and reset sequencing at each fabric boundary.
• Define and own the fabric performance model: estimate bandwidth utilization per path under representative traffic mixes for each operating mode and identify bottlenecks.
• Establish fabric-level bring-up tests: register accessibility checks, path connectivity tests, and loopback sequences that confirm the interconnect is healthy before full subsystem integration testing begins.
• Coordinate with the physical design team on fabric floorplan implications: block placement driven by dominant data flow, clock-region boundaries, and wire-length budgets for timing closure.

• BS/MS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or equivalent with 8+ years of digital IC design, with at least 4 years owning on-chip interconnect, bus fabric, or NoC architecture at block-lead or integration-lead level.
• Deep expertise in one or more on-chip interconnect protocols: AXI4 / AXI4-Lite / AXI-Stream; CHI or equivalent; able to write and review bus bridge RTL and understand ordering rules, response channels, and error signaling.
• Experience with Network-on-Chip (NoC) design or integration of commercial NoC IP (in a complex SoC).
• Familiarity with AMBA CHI or ACE coherency extensions and their impact on fabric design.
• Solid understanding of CDC design: async FIFO design, gray-code counters, synchronizer topologies, and CDC verification methodology.
• Experience owning the top-level integration netlist or chip-level assembly RTL on a multi-block design.
• Strong System Verilog skills: arbiters, FIFOs, pipelines, address decoders, and parameterized bus infrastructure.
• Experience with static timing constraints for multi-clock designs

• Background with high-speed chiplet or SoC integration at advanced nodes (7 nm or below), including floorplan-driven bus topology decisions.
• Experience building or maintaining an automated register-map generation flow (SystemRDL, IP-XACT, or similar).
• Prior role as chip-level integration lead responsible for assembling subsystem IPs into a complete design.
• Familiarity with hardware security primitives: access control, firewall IP, or trusted execution region isolation in the fabric.
• Experience with formal property verification of bus protocols or CDC crossings.