--- title: 'Director of Physical Design at Ambiq Micro, Inc.' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/director-of-physical-design-ambiq-micro-inc-austin-65sf1vexq6f2' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-10-31' --- # Director of Physical Design at Ambiq Micro, Inc. - **Company:** Ambiq Micro, Inc. - **Location:** Austin, TX - **Posted:** 2026-10-30 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-31 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/ambiqmicroinc/jobs/4469771009 ## Job description Company Overview Ambiq is on a mission to enable intelligence everywhere — powering the AI edge revolution with the world's lowest-power semiconductor solutions. Built on our proprietary sub- and near-threshold technology, our chips deliver multi-fold improvements in energy efficiency without costly process scaling. Since 2010, we've shipped over 300 million units to customers building smarter wearables, medical devices, IoT products, and AI-powered edge applications. Our cross-functional teams span design, research, development, production, marketing, sales, and operations across Austin, Hsinchu, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Singapore. We move fast, tackle hard problems, and create space for people to grow through complex, meaningful work that shapes the future of technology. We're looking for self-motivated, creative problem-solvers who are eager to push technological limits and make a real impact in energy efficiency. At Ambiq, we live by five values: Innovate. Collaborate. Focus. Learn. Achieve. If that's you, join us — the intelligence everywhere revolution starts here. This role will be on-site 5 days a week in NW Austin. Scope We seek an accomplished Director of Physical Design to lead and scale our physical implementation organization for next-generation, ultra-low-power microcontroller (MCU) products. This strategic, high-impact leadership role drives the physical design roadmap, ensures world-class PPA (power, performance, area), and delivers robust silicon for high-volume embedded applications. You will guide a multidisciplinary team across design methodology, physical implementation, and sign-off, partnering closely with architecture, RTL design, analog/mixed‑signal, verification, and product engineering to bring innovative MCU solutions to market. ## Key Responsibilities Leadership & Strategy - Define and execute the physical design strategy for low‑power MCU product lines. - Build, mentor, and lead a high‑performing global physical design team. - Establish best‑in‑class methodologies for low‑power, high‑reliability physical implementation. - Drive continuous improvement in design flows, automation, and signoff quality, including the use of AI tools. Physical Implementation - Oversee full‑chip and block‑level physical design including: - Floorplanning - Power planning and low‑power architecture implementation - Clock tree synthesis (CTS) - Place & route (P&R) - Timing closure - Physical verification (DRC/LVS) - EM/IR and reliability sign-off - Power analysis - Ensure optimal PPA trade-offs tailored for ultra‑low‑power MCU architectures. Cross-Functional Collaboration - Partner with architecture and RTL teams to influence early design decisions. - Work closely with analog/mixed‑signal teams to integrate mixed‑signal IP into SoCs. - Collaborate with product engineering and operations to ensure manufacturability and yield. - Interface with foundries to align on technology capabilities, PDK updates, and design rules. Execution & Delivery - Own physical design schedules, resource planning, and risk management. - Ensure first‑silicon success through rigorous signoff and validation processes. - Drive tape‑out readiness and support post‑silicon debug. ## Qualifications Required - Bachelor’s or Master's degree in electrical engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field. - 15+ years of experience in physical design for complex SoCs, with at least 5 years in leadership roles. - Proven track record of delivering multiple chips to production. - Deep expertise in: - Low power design techniques (UPF, clock gating, multi‑Vt, power gating, DVFS, retention, etc.) - Physical design tools (Synopsys, Cadence, Mentor) - Advanced process nodes (40nm → 22nm → 12nm and below) - Strong understanding of MCU architectures and embedded system constraints. - Excellent communication, leadership, and cross-functional collaboration skills. ## Preferred - Experience with mixed-signal SoCs and integration of analog IP. - Background in high-volume consumer or industrial MCU products. - Familiarity with security-focused or safety-certified MCU designs (e.g., ISO 26262). - Experience building and scaling distributed engineering teams. Must be currently authorized to work in the United States for any employer. ## About Ambiq Micro, Inc. ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Ambiq develops ultra-low-power semiconductor platforms and system-on-chip (SoC) solutions that enable edge AI on battery-powered devices. - **Entity Type**: Public (NYSE: $AMBQ, as of July 30, 2025) - **Headquarters**: Austin, Texas, USA (with offices in Hsinchu, Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Singapore) - **Founded**: 2010 - **Founders**: Dr. Scott Hanson (current CTO) ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Semiconductor / Ultra-Low-Power Integrated Circuits / Edge AI Hardware - **Target customers**: B2B — OEMs and device manufacturers building wearables, smart glasses, smart home devices, healthcare monitors, industrial sensors, and IoT products - **Mission statement**: To enable intelligence (AI and beyond) everywhere by delivering the lowest-power semiconductor solutions on the planet. ## Products & Services - **SPOT® Platform**: Proprietary, patented Subthreshold Power Optimized Technology that operates below 1V, delivering a quadratic improvement in energy efficiency vs. traditional designs. This is the core differentiator enabling complex AI at the edge. - **Apollo SoC Family**: System-on-Chip solutions now in their 5th generation. Flagship products include Apollo510, Apollo510B, ApolloD Lite, and Apollo330M Plus. Designed for wearables, smart glasses, smart home, healthcare, and industrial use. - **Atomiq SoC Family**: Additional SoC offerings for edge AI applications. - **Real-Time Clock (RTC) Products**: Standalone ultra-low-power timing solutions. - **Developer Tools**: Evaluation boards, display kits, debugger tools, and accompanying software/AI developer solutions. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: $1 billion valuation (pre-IPO); Market cap post-IPO not publicly disclosed in available sources. - **Key Metric**: Total funding of over $700 million raised prior to IPO; 290 million devices sold as of early 2026. - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Raised over $700M in capital; led by CEO Fumihide Esaka who previously led Transphorm and NIEC. Specific institutional investors not detailed in available materials. - **Growth Signals**: Went public on NYSE in July 2025; sold 290M devices (up from 270M at the start of 2025); won Embedded World Best in Show and AI Excellence Awards in 2025; IoT Semiconductor Company of the Year (3rd time). ## Competitive Advantages - **SPOT® Technology Moat**: Proprietary subthreshold operation below 1V provides a fundamental physics-based power advantage that competitors cannot easily replicate — a 10x power reduction vs. competing MCU solutions. - **Massive Installed Base**: 290 million devices shipped creates strong switching costs and ecosystem lock-in for customers. - **Edge AI Leadership**: Enables always-on AI inference on battery-powered devices where thermal and power constraints make traditional chips unusable. - **Patented Platform**: Extensive patent portfolio protecting the SPOT technology. ## Strategic Focus - **Edge AI Expansion**: Continuing to push larger and more complex AI models onto battery-powered edge devices. - **Market Diversification**: Growing beyond wearables into smart glasses, healthcare, smart home, and industrial IoT. - **Public Company Growth**: Leveraging IPO capital (July 2025) to scale R&D, sales, and global operations. - **Fifth-Generation SoCs**: Rolling out Apollo5 series with enhanced AI capabilities and broader customer adoption. ## Why Work Here - **Cutting-Edge Technology**: Work on the frontier of ultra-low-power semiconductor design and edge AI — a niche with massive growth potential. - **Collaborative Culture**: Company values emphasize innovation, collaboration, focus, learning, and achievement. Diverse, global team across Austin, Hsinchu, Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Singapore. - **Growth & Learning**: Mentorship programs, continuous learning opportunities, and clear career development paths. Strong emphasis on hiring for a "learning mindset." - **Benefits**: Medical, dental, vision, identity protection, 401K, and paid time off (varies by region). - **Work Environment**: Mix of on-site and remote roles (e.g., Field Application Engineer roles list "Remote Employee" for Central and West Coast US). 33 open positions as of mid-2026 across hardware design, software, AI, embedded systems, sales, and operations. - **Diversity & Inclusion**: Explicit commitment to creating an inclusive environment and hiring from diverse backgrounds. ## Sources 1. [ambiq.com](https://ambiq.com/) 2. [ambiq.com/about-us](https://www.ambiq.com/about-us/) 3. [ambiq.com/careers](https://ambiq.com/careers/) 4. [ir.ambiq.com](https://ir.ambiq.com/overview/default.aspx) 5. [job-boards.greenhouse.io/ambiqmicroinc](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/ambiqmicroinc) ## Other roles at Ambiq Micro, Inc. - [Principal SoC RTL Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-soc-rtl-engineer-ambiq-micro-inc-austin-e8vywq86sygx) — Austin, TX - [Senior Engineer, Product Test](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-engineer-product-test-ambiq-micro-inc-hsinchu-city-gx2pymyr4tz7) — Hsinchu City, Taiwan - [Embedded Software Intern](https://feeny.ai/job/embedded-software-intern-ambiq-micro-inc-singapore-3rer4em0zrdy) — Singapore - [Staff Embedded Graphics Software](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-embedded-graphics-software-ambiq-micro-inc-austin-91s15z46nssf) — Austin, TX - [Sr Staff Software Engineer - Power Management](https://feeny.ai/job/sr-staff-software-engineer-power-management-ambiq-micro-inc-austin-4avwj6hpnxgd) — Austin, TX - [Staff Engineer - System Test](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-engineer-system-test-ambiq-micro-inc-austin-ay3m3ksambp7) — Austin, TX - [Sr Staff Analog IC Design Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/sr-staff-analog-ic-design-engineer-ambiq-micro-inc-austin-hfr4fhgyshe2) — Austin, TX - [DFT Intern](https://feeny.ai/job/dft-intern-ambiq-micro-inc-singapore-s8zr8gtncdg6) — Singapore - [AI-Assisted Memory Design Intern](https://feeny.ai/job/ai-assisted-memory-design-intern-ambiq-micro-inc-singapore-1vv3wdyzqqhe) — Singapore - [Finance Manager - Product/Revenue & Margin](https://feeny.ai/job/finance-manager-product-revenue-margin-ambiq-micro-inc-austin-bpwr9tdyzj73) — Austin, TX