--- title: 'FPGA Design Engineer at Taara' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/fpga-design-engineer-taara-sunnyvale-ren1pyr52tcn' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-05' --- # FPGA Design Engineer at Taara - **Company:** Taara - **Location:** Sunnyvale, CA - **Compensation:** $160k–$210k - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** hybrid - **Posted:** 2025-09-12 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-05 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/taaraconnect/a07c6629-597b-4c75-9597-c63f8b34f6df/application **Skills:** FPGA Design, Digital Logic Design, System Verilog, Verilog, RTL Implementation, FPGA Simulation, FPGA Synthesis, Static Timing Analysis, FPGA High Speed Interfaces, Oscilloscopes, Hardware Debugging, AMD UltraScale/UltraScale+ FPGAs, Embedded C, C++, Python, tcl, Simulink, High Level Synthesis, Image Processing, Real-time Tracking Systems > The FPGA Design Engineer is responsible for the full lifecycle of FPGA designs, including simulation, implementation, testing, and verification for digital logic in high-data-rate communications and precision tracking systems. The role involves collaborating on algorithm development, implementing custom RTL modules,... ## Job description About Taara Connect: Born at X, Google's Moonshot Factory, Taara is on a mission to connect billions of people lacking abundant and affordable internet today by pioneering the way we use light to deliver faster, cheaper, more reliable connectivity. Lead the charge in bringing our groundbreaking wireless optical communication and photonics chip technologies to the world. Drive our growth story as we scale innovative solutions across the world. Join us to light the way for bridging the digital divide and illuminating the future. Role Overview: We are seeking a highly-motivated individual that enjoys working in a small dynamic team environment with a passion for solving challenging problems that can lead to high-impact advances in technology. As an FPGA Design Engineer, you will be responsible for the full lifecycle of FPGA designs – design, simulation, implementation, testing, and verification – for digital logic for high-data-rate communications systems and precision line-of-sight tracking systems. About the Role: - Collaborate across teams to jointly develop high-speed digital signal processing and control system algorithms supporting wireless optical communications applications. - Implement custom RTL modules that enable high data rate communications, as well as timing-sensitive feedback-based precision line-of-sight tracking systems. - Develop test benches for RTL modules, perform simulation, and verify design requirements are met. - Integrate third party IP cores into an FPGA system, create custom RTL wrappers for third party cores, and interface with IP vendors. - Participate in board bring-up activities, system level integration tasks, troubleshooting, and field testing. - Stay current with the latest FPGA technologies, tools, and best practices. - Contribute ideas and participate in improving our design process, infrastructure, and products. What you should have: - Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering or similar discipline. - 3+ years in FPGA/ Digital Logic Design role, with experience in implementing and testing custom RTL using System Verilog or Verilog. - Experience with FPGA design flow including simulation, synthesis, and static timing analysis. - Experience with FPGA high speed interfaces. - Hands on experience with lab equipment including oscilloscopes and hardware debugging. - Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills. - Strong communication and teamwork skills. It would be great if you also had these: - MS (or higher) in Computer Engineering, or a related field. - Experience with AMD UltraScale/UltraScale+ FPGAs/SoCs, or equivalent. - Experience coding in embedded C/C++ (or similar) and common scripting languages (e.g. Python, tcl). - Experience implementing RTL blocks for high-speed communications, image processing, and real-time tracking systems. - Experience with Simulink or High Level Synthesis. The US base salary range for this full-time position is $160,000-$210,000 + bonus + equity + benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your location during the hiring process. ## About Taara ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Taara uses invisible beams of light to deliver high-speed, low-latency wireless internet connectivity, acting as a fiber alternative for hard-to-reach areas. - **Entity Type**: Private (spun out from X, Alphabet’s Moonshot Factory in March 2025; backed by Series X Capital, with Alphabet retaining a minority stake) - **Headquarters**: Sunnyvale, California, USA - **Founded**: 2025 (spin-out); predecessor Project Taara began in 2017 - **Founders**: Mahesh Krishnaswamy ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Telecommunications technology / Free-space optical communications - **Target customers**: B2B – mobile operators, wireless ISPs, fiber operators, enterprises, smart city operators, government/emergency response, and innovation partners (satellite operators, photonics companies) - **Mission**: “Bringing high-speed, affordable and abundant connectivity to people everywhere using beams of light.” ## Products & Services - **Taara Lightbridge**: Free-space optical terminal delivering up to 20 Gbps over line-of-sight distances up to 20 km with carrier-grade availability. Used for backhaul, fronthaul, and mesh. - **Taara Lightbridge Pro**: Enhanced version offering “five nines” (99.999%) availability for mission-critical networks. - **Taara Beam**: First product built on Taara's Integrated Photonics Platform, designed for expansion with flexibility in a smaller form factor. - **Integrated Photonics Platform**: Silicon photonics chip that uses light to transmit data through the air, enabling miniaturized terminals and reduced mechanical complexity. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed - **Key Metric**: Total funding – undisclosed round led by Series X Capital at spin-out (2025); Alphabet retains minority stake - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Series X Capital, Alphabet (via X Development); strategic partners include T‑Mobile, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Econet Group, Digicomm International - **Growth Signals**: Deployments in over 20 countries across Africa, India, North America, and Southeast Asia; recognized as TIME Best Invention of 2024 and Fast Company World Changing Ideas Award; successful live events connectivity (Coachella, Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta with T‑Mobile) ## Competitive Advantages - **No trenching or spectrum licensing**: Light beams travel through air, avoiding costly fiber deployment and radio spectrum constraints. - **Rapid deployment**: Can be deployed in hours instead of months – ideal for disaster recovery and temporary capacity. - **Silicon photonics platform**: Proprietary chip technology that shrinks hardware and lowers cost, enabling mass scalability. - **Fiber-class performance**: Delivers symmetrical 20 Gbps+ with ultra-low latency, competing directly with fiber in capacity. ## Strategic Focus - **Expand photonics-based connectivity** beyond telecom into data centers, industrial campuses, and satellite communications. - **Scale manufacturing** of its Integrated Photonics Platform to serve global demand. - **Deepen partnerships** with mobile operators, internet service providers, and government entities to close the digital divide. ## Why Work Here - **Innovation pedigree**: Born inside X (Google’s Moonshot Factory) – a culture of tackling world-scale challenges with ambitious technology. - **Mission-driven impact**: Work directly on bringing affordable internet to underserved communities and disaster zones. - **Cutting-edge tech**: Hands-on with advanced photonics, optical engineering, and system-level hardware/software design. - **Growth phase**: Recently spun out as an independent company – opportunity to shape engineering culture and processes from an early stage. - **Hybrid/office**: Based in Sunnyvale, CA; roles range from hardware engineering (optical, mechanical, FPGA) to software (backend, Linux, cloud) and go-to-market (sales, customer success). Per company careers page: open roles include Principal Optical Engineer, Director of Product Management, Senior Backend Software Engineer, etc. - **Perks & culture**: Described as “a new technological era” with a focus on collaboration, rapid iteration, and global impact. ## Sources 1. [taaraconnect.com](https://www.taaraconnect.com/) – Homepage product details 2. [taaraconnect.com/careers](https://www.taaraconnect.com/careers) – Open roles and engineering focus 3. [taaraconnect.com/about](https://www.taaraconnect.com/about) – Leadership, history, milestones 4. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taara_(company)) – Company overview, spin-out, funding, deployments ## Other roles at Taara - [Coherent Optical Systems Internship](https://feeny.ai/job/coherent-optical-systems-internship-taara-sunnyvale-f09xrc2ex19m) — Sunnyvale, CA - [Senior Technical Escalations Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-technical-escalations-engineer-taara-sunnyvale-ed981hzfns48) — Sunnyvale, CA - [VP of Finance](https://feeny.ai/job/vp-of-finance-taara-sunnyvale-rtqqr2d48xgj) — Sunnyvale, CA - [Financial Operations Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/financial-operations-manager-taara-sunnyvale-zeppbj18c2g0) — Sunnyvale, CA - [Principal Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-analog-mixed-signal-asic-engineer-taara-sunnyvale-esst4g51npkn) — Sunnyvale, CA - [Director of Optical and Mechanical](https://feeny.ai/job/director-of-optical-and-mechanical-taara-sunnyvale-xrh63xxgm2nd) — Sunnyvale, CA - [Growth Marketing Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/growth-marketing-specialist-taara-sunnyvale-st1es2a22n73) — Sunnyvale, CA - [Mechanical Design Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/mechanical-design-engineer-taara-sunnyvale-b452mzmcts4a) — Sunnyvale, CA - [Director of Product Management](https://feeny.ai/job/director-of-product-management-taara-sunnyvale-c8wndxcamgwn) — Sunnyvale, CA - [Customer Success Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/customer-success-manager-taara-sunnyvale-f3q87dr9k9ad) — Sunnyvale, CA