What Physical Design projects will actually help me stand out from the crowd?
Hi everyone,
I'm an entry-level VLSI Physical Design engineer trying to build a portfolio that will make my resume stand out for product companies (NVIDIA, AMD, Qualcomm, Apple, Intel, Synopsys, etc.).
I don't want to do only the common OpenLane or basic RISC-V implementation projects that everyone has. I'm looking for projects that demonstrate real Physical Design skills and engineering thinking.
What projects would you recommend that recruiters and hiring managers actually find impressive?
Specifically, I'm interested in projects involving:
- Floorplanning
- Power planning
- Placement and CTS optimization
- Routing and congestion analysis
- Timing closure
- IR drop and power optimization
- Physical verification (DRC/LVS)
- Automation using TCL or Python
- OpenROAD/OpenLane or any industry-relevant open-source flow
I'm willing to spend several months on one high-quality project if it significantly strengthens my resume.
If you were hiring a junior Physical Design engineer, what project would immediately catch your attention and make you think, "This candidate is different"?
I'd really appreciate suggestions from engineers working in the semiconductor industry. Thanks!
