
PCB Layout Engineer at Etched (San Jose, CA)
Etched· San Jose, CA· $150k–$275k·
Role details
Medical, Dental, And Vision Packages · Housing Subsidy · Relocation Support · Wellness Benefits · Daily Lunch And Dinner
Etched at a glance
Transformer-specific ASICs and rack-scale systems that hardwire the transformer into silicon for faster, cheaper AI inference.
Etched designs transformer-specific ASICs and full rack-scale inference systems. Its Sohu chip hardwires the transformer architecture directly into silicon, trading a GPU's general-purpose flexibility for far higher throughput, lower latency, and better power efficiency on AI inference. Customers buy complete co-designed clusters, chip plus rack plus software, not standalone chips.
$800M raised · latest: $500M · led by Stripes · Dec 2025 (reported Jan 2026) · backed by Stripes, Peter Thiel, Ribbit Capital, VentureTech Alliance
Summary
Design and optimize high-speed PCB layouts for 100G signaling, power distribution, and HDI stack-ups in data center products using Cadence Allegro. The role involves managing complex HDI designs, collaborating with cross-functional engineering teams, and ensuring signal integrity and reliability.
Job description
About Etched
Etched is building hardware for frontier intelligence. We co-design chips, racks, software, and manufacturing to deliver best-in-class throughput and latency across both prefill and decode workloads. Our first products are heavily focused on inference. Backed by hundreds of millions from top-tier investors and staffed by leading engineers, Etched is redefining the infrastructure layer for the fastest growing industry in history.
Job Summary
We’re seeking a skilled PCB Layout Engineer to join our dynamic team and contribute to our high-performance data center products. As a PCB Layout Engineer at Etched, you will play a crucial role in designing and optimizing printed circuit boards (PCBs) using Cadence Allegro PCB design tools. Your primary focus will be on high-speed signaling, including 100G applications, power distribution, large BGA ball-map breakouts and complex HDI PCB stack-ups for high-performance data center products. Your expertise will ensure that our products meet the highest standards of performance, reliability, and efficiency.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the design and optimization of high-speed PCB layouts using Cadence Allegro, tailored for 100G signaling. Implement strategies for impedance matching, trace routing, and crosstalk mitigation, resulting in robust designs that meet the stringent performance demands of modern data centers.
- Develop and implement power distribution networks for cutting-edge data center hardware. Design power planes, decoupling strategies, and thermal management solutions to support high-performance systems, ensuring reliability and efficiency under heavy operational loads.
- Manage the design of complex High-Density Interconnect (HDI) PCB stack-ups for multi-layer boards. Integrate blind/buried vias and microvias to meet the advanced technological requirements of data center systems, enhancing signal integrity and achieving compact form factors.
- Collaborate with electrical and mechanical engineering teams to integrate PCB designs within the overall system architecture. Provide key input during design reviews to optimize performance, ensure manufacturability, and align with system-level objectives in a data center environment.
You maybe a good fit if you
- Have a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, or a related field. Advanced degrees or certifications are a plus.
- Are equipped with 10 years of experience in PCB layout design with a focus on high-speed signaling, power distribution, and HDI stack-ups, ideally for high-performance data center products.
- Demonstrate proficiency in Cadence Allegro PCB design tools
- Command in-depth knowledge of high-speed digital design principles, including signal integrity and impedance control.
- Have Experience with complex HDI PCB design and manufacturing processes.
- Understand power distribution network design and thermal management techniques, particularly for data center applications.
- Are excellent at problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
We encourage you to apply even if you do not believe you meet every single qualification.
Benefits
- Medical, dental, and vision packages with generous premium coverage
- $500 per month credit for waiving medical benefits
- Housing subsidy of $2k per month for those living within walking distance of the office
- Relocation support for those moving to San Jose (Santana Row)
- Various wellness benefits covering fitness, mental health, and more
- Daily lunch + dinner in our office
- Unlimited compute budget subject to ROI justification
How we’re different:
Etched believes in the Bitter Lesson incompleteideas.net/BitterLesson.html. We are the first inference-focused frontier AI system. Our addressable market is the entirety of inference, unlike many of our competitors.
We are a fully in-person team in San Jose (Santana Row), and greatly value engineering skills. We do not have boundaries between engineering and research, and we expect all of our technical staff to contribute to both and work across disciplines as needed.
Why work at Etched
- Mission-driven, high-impact engineering: “Building the hardware for superintelligence” – the company is solving one of the hardest problems in compute (inference efficiency) with a focused team.
- Top-tier team and learning environment: Colleagues from Google, NVIDIA, Apple, Tesla, Broadcom, and Intel; exposure to full-stack chip-to-system design.
- In-office culture: All roles are in-office (Cupertino and San Jose, CA). The company emphasizes on-site collaboration for hardware development. Notable perks are not heavily advertised, but compensation is competitive for the AI hardware space (equity-heavy).
- Growth trajectory: 141% headcount growth YoY, hundreds of open roles, and a $5B valuation signal strong backing and career acceleration potential.
- Intellectual challenge: Work on chip simulation, RTL design, system validation, or software infrastructure for cutting-edge AI inference.