r/Semiconductors

Hi... i'm currently 23, and i have a dream to work at NVIDIA. I'm not actually majoring in electrical or computer science, but my final project at my university is making an underwater remotely operated vehicle. I know i'm not the best at this, but i'm trying to learn. I'm preparing myself to apply for a position at Nvidia that is related to automation. I will apply maybe in the next 2-3 years. I will spend that time learning, working remotely, and building a project and portfolio and posting it on GitHub. I'm an adventurer, guys; i want to build my career but also enjoy my 20s traveling and so on. I know that if i want to achieve it, it's better to work in Europe, like in Munich, for the work-life balance. but i really want to work in The US. How is the work culture of Nvidia in the US ? do people spend their life just to work or they have time to enjoy their life?

Hey everyone,

I’ve been working in industrial automation for the past 2 years, and I have always been interested in the semiconductor industry.

The problem is — I honestly don’t know where to begin.

My current experience is mostly in automation, so I don’t really have the specific skills or knowledge that semiconductor companies usually look for. Because of that, I’m a bit confused about the best way to make this transition.

Should I consider pursuing a master’s degree to enter this field? Or would it make more sense to start applying to companies in the semiconductor industry and learn on the job?

I’d really love to hear from people already working in this space or from anyone who has made a similar switch in their career. Any advice, roadmap, or reality check would honestly help a lot.

Also, if there are any opportunities, referrals, or even people open to having a conversation about any opportunities, I’d be happy to connect.

Thanks!

I've been reading a lot about the chiplet adoption lately, however there are apparently still some loose ends and lacking finesse which is limiting their complete adoption from monolithic chips. What do you think are reasons they are not being adopted? Is it difficult to run demanding AI/ML workloads? Is latency an issue?

Hi all, I'm a materials engineer working in a consulting firm as a process design engineer in the steel industry. I was looking to transition to a similar role in the semicon industry. Is it possible? If yes, how should I go about it?

How to make sense of these? They seem so general. “Troubleshoot complex problems” “perform root cause analysis” but for what department? How do you tell if you are a strong fit or not based on the technology you have experience in?

Theres also Process Eng 2 Sr, Process Eng 3 Sr, Process Engineer NCG with 2-4 YOE required, just plain “Process Engineer” positions with 7-10 YOE, Process Engineer III with type: college student/intern listed and asking for your grad date, and the list goes on.

Just some context, I previously interned at AMD as an intern in front-end, I learnt many relevant concepts, and even went back to complete my studies with a RISC-V AI accelerator design as my undergraduate project.

And just out of nowhere, for personal reasons, I must relocate to a place to work, where landing a role in digital chip design, not even mentioning front-end roles like RTL/DV is close to impossible for fresh graduates. But luckily, I managed to land a role for ATE test engineer at Qualcomm.

I feel really luckily to even land such a role, I love the company and the work, but I just cant get it off my mind where I need to give up what I used to have passion for.

I guess I am just open to hearing what you guys think of my situation.

Got selected at Applied Materials Bangalore — C++ Developer,

Digital Lithography Group (IPC). 7+ YoE in embedded systems.

Currently at a tier-1 semiconductor company.

Current TC: ~42 LPA (26L base + stocks + bonus)

— need honest inputs:

💰 TC breakdown? (Base/Bonus/RSU) Yearly refreshers? Hikes?

🏢 WLB? WFH/hybrid? Manager culture?

📚 Promotions? Learning opportunities?

⚠️ Any red flags?

Even rough answers help. Thanks! 🙏

PS: Used AI to structure this post.

Hi everyone, I’ve been applying for semiconductor roles in Germany for a while now, but haven’t received any positive feedback.

I’m Taiwanese but currently live in Germany. I hold a Master’s degree and have nearly two years of experience as a Process Engineer back in Taiwan. I've applied for Process, Customer Service, and Integration Engineer roles at companies like ESMC, KLA, Lam Research, and GlobalFoundries. I’m fluent in English and currently learning German, aiming to reach B1 by this November.

Is German proficiency a strict requirement for these positions, or should I adjust my CV for the German market? If anyone has tips on improving my application strategy or networking within the industry here, I’d really appreciate your insights!

Need some genuine career advice from people in semiconductor packaging/SI-PI roles.

Right now I’m working in an OSAT-type environment where my role is kind of a mix of Advanced Package Design and SI/PI. Over the last few years I’ve worked on things like:
- Advanced package/RDL/substrate design
- High-speed routing
- SI/PI simulations and debugging
- UCIe/LPDDR/HBM related issues
- Package bring-up and coordination with different teams
- A bit of NPI exposure too

The problem is I’m now at a stage where I need to decide whether I want to go deeper into SI/PI specialization or move more toward package design + NPI/program side responsibilities.

I currently have two offers:

1. AMD
   - More SI/PI focused role
   - Feels more aligned with deep technical work in high-speed/package architecture
   - Slightly lower compensation

2. Broadcom
   - More package design + NPI focused
   - Better compensation
   - But honestly, a lot of what I read online talks about very long working hours and higher pressure/workload there

Long term I want to stay in advanced packaging/interconnect technologies and maybe eventually move into areas like heterogeneous integration, photonics integration, advanced architectures, etc.

I’m honestly confused about which direction is better for long-term growth.

A few things I’d really like input on:
- Is going deeper into SI/PI a better long-term specialization?
- Or does package design + NPI open broader opportunities later?
- Which path tends to have better stability and growth in the industry?
- How different are the cultures at AMD vs Broadcom in reality?
- If you were early/mid career in this field, which one would you pick and why?

Would really appreciate advice from people actually working in these areas instead of generic internet opinions.

There is a contract position open at TEL for a field service engineer in Arizona, the position mainly supports the TSMC facility. I have some questions about the company in general and about FSE's. If anyone has experience with TEL or working as a FSE at a similar company, then any input would be great.

1. Does the work culture of the customer effect the work of the vendor? TSMC is notorious for their hard work culture, I wouldn't work for them outright. That being said I have worked with vendors before, and they seem to get a different experience servicing the company rather than working at the company of the customer.
2. Do their contracts end up transitioning to full time positions, or is it just a pipe dream? I have seen companies that transition a lot of their people out of contracts, and I have seen "permanent" contract companies.
3. Working at a vendor company can lead to companies trying to poach you, how much experience could lead to a poaching or another job? If for example I work for 2 years at TEL and don't like it, would I be able to go to another company and find a good job using the experience I gained?

Any other information would be helpful, and appreciated.

Will we see Micron employees in the U.S. get the same bonuses that fab workers at Sk Hynix/Samsung are getting? Like they are getting $900K in South Korea that would go along way in the U.S!