
Digital - Principal Systems/DSP Engineer
Job Description
Key Responsibilities:
- Define and architect low-power DSP architectures for 224G PAM4 and 448G SerDes designs, driving key trade-offs between power, performance, and area
- Develop and maintain behavioral models of mixed-signal transceiver circuits using MATLAB, Simulink, C, and/or Python for system-level performance prediction and design specification
- Develop, evaluate, and optimize equalization algorithms including FFE, DFE, CTLE, and MLSE/MLSD for 224G/448G channel loss and impairment compensation
- Derive and specify analog front-end (AFE), DAC/ADC, and PLL performance targets from system-level BER and link budget analyses
- Design and optimize adaptive DSP algorithms for channel compensation, including adaptation convergence strategies, calibration sequencing, and robustness across PVT corners
- Architect and evaluate clock and data recovery (CDR) algorithms and loop dynamics, including jitter tolerance analysis, bang-bang and linear CDR trade-offs, and frequency acquisition strategies
- Perform system-level simulations and trade-off analyses balancing power consumption (digital and analog), performance, and BER requirements
- Collaborate closely with analog, digital RTL, and physical design teams to ensure algorithm-to-implementation fidelity and power-efficient silicon realization
- Develop and evaluate FEC solutions including inner/outer FEC architectures, RS-FEC (KP4/KP8) integration, and concatenated coding schemes per IEEE 802.3dj and OIF CEI-224G standards
- Drive silicon bring-up and characterization test plans, correlating pre-silicon system models with post-silicon measurements to validate DSP performance
- Define lab validation methodologies and work with characterization teams on silicon debug, performance benchmarking, and standard compliance testing
- Provide technical leadership to customers and partners on system-level link performance, interoperability, and algorithmic optimization
Qualification:
- Masters or Ph.D in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related fields
- 10+ years of experience in DSP system architecture and algorithm development for high-speed serial communication systems, with hands-on work at 112G PAM4 or higher data rates
- Deep expertise in digital communication and signal processing theory, including PAM4 modulation, equalization architectures, CDR loop dynamics, and statistical channel modeling
- Expert-level proficiency in system modeling using MATLAB, Simulink, C, and/or Python with demonstrated ability to build production-quality behavioral models
- Strong working knowledge of high-speed serial protocols and standards including Ethernet (IEEE 802.3ck/df/dj), PCIe, UCIe, and OIF CEI specifications
- Solid understanding of mixed-signal circuit design concepts (DAC/ADC architectures, PLL phase noise, AFE linearity) and their impact on DSP algorithm performance and link budget
- Proven ability to collaborate across analog, digital, and verification teams to translate algorithmic intent into silicon-ready implementations
- Hands-on experience with 112G/224G SerDes products with proven tapeout or silicon characterization results
- Detailed knowledge of OIF CEI-224G and IEEE 802.3dj standards including link budget allocation, compliance test methodologies, and FEC performance metrics
- Experience with chiplet D2D interconnects, optical/electrical interfaces (VCSEL, EML), or DRAM/HBM PHY systems a plus