r/vlsi

Hey guys,

I’m a final year student aiming for RTL design roles. I was thinking of building a 32-bit RISC-V (RV32I) core from scratch as my final year project.

But is a basic RV32I core still relevant in 2026, or is it too common now?

Should I instead add something interesting like pipeline, cache, branch prediction, custom instructions, formal verification, etc. Or maybe do something completely new with RISC-V?

If you were in my place, what kind of project would you build to actually stand out for an entry-level RTL role?

Any suggestions from people working in RTL/ASIC/FPGA would be really helpful :)

My college is having a partnership with Maven and they are planning to have some students to go and study there for one month

Every year until 3rd . The program focuses on vlsi.

What's your opinion, Should I join or not ?

Can anyone please tell me the pattern of questions asked in the OA and how much time was allotted for each section? Also, if you remember, could you share the exact question that was asked in the OA or any relevant info about the question

I'm an EE graduate from a good engineering university in Asia and currently work as a communications engineer. During undergrad I spent ~2.5 years in a hardware research lab.

Recently I got approached by a government organization that's trying to build a small Fabless IC design team. They apparently have a decent amount of funding and want a project that can show real results fairly quickly. They've tried a few things before, but apparently nothing really worked out.

Here's the funny part: they asked me to come up with project ideas.

I'm interested in IC design, but I'm honestly still pretty junior in the field. I have some relevant research experience, but I've never taped out a chip and have never taken a design through a complete ASIC flow. So I'm honestly not sure how qualified I am to decide what a new team should build.

Some ideas I've been thinking about are an LDPC/DSP accelerator, RISC-V SoC, hardware security IP, ADC/DAC, or some kind of communication accelerator. But I am such a rookie to take on these tasks.

So I'd really like some advice from people who've actually done this:

If you were in my position, what would you do?

Would you try to come up with a relatively simple project and help them get started? Or would you tell them they need experienced IC designers first? I don't think they would accept the latter, because they're so desperate to break into the IC industry.

There's also another possibility I'm considering: asking them to support me in getting proper graduate-level IC design/research experience, and then coming back with that experience to help build the team.

And for those who've done a first tapeout: what would you consider a realistic first project for a small team with funding but very little IC design experience?

I'm looking for honest advice, including if you think this whole situation is unrealistic.

I’m a 3rd-year ECE student aiming for a career in semiconductor/core hardware companies like TI, Qualcomm, NVIDIA, AMD, etc., mainly through off-campus opportunities.

I’m confused between RTL Design, DV, Physical Design, DFT, FPGA, and Analog/Mixed-Signal.

Which role would be the best to target for strong future demand, career growth, and good entry-level opportunities? Also, what skills should I focus on from 3rd year to become industry-ready?

Recently i got a summer hardware internship at Nvidia Bangalore India, i was primarily asked the basics of digital circuits and no c programming. So this internship will happen in Summer 2027 and Iam a 3rd year at tier 1 NIT.
So will they offer ppo for summer hardware interns, and if yes what are the chances or convertion ratios?
Iam confused because should i focus solely on building skills for Nvida or should i prepare for another domains in placements?

Exp: 2-4
One of the big three 3 eda companies

Req: c/cpp, DSA and verilog

Need some advice regarding switching to VLSI

Hi guys, I’m currently working in Wipro in the Mainframe domain for around 1.5 years.Before joining Wipro,I was doing VLSI coaching at Maven Silicon,but in the middle of the course I got the Wipro offer,so I joined and ended up in Mainframe.

Now I’m thinking of switching to VLSI. I checked internal openings and also asked some friends working in VLSI, but currently there are no openings.

So I’m planning to prepare for GATE and do M.Tech in VLSI. Is this a good option?

My main concern is, what if I prepare for GATE but don’t get a good college? Should I still try for VLSI jobs directly or continue with Mainframe or mtech in any good private colleges?

Would really appreciate advice from people who have been in a similar situation.

I’m a 2026 Masters graduate from a Tier-1 institute and have completed an internship at NVIDIA.

I’m currently looking for full-time opportunities in the hardware/semiconductor/VLSI industry, particularly in:

RTL Design

Design Verification

STA / Timing

Physical Design

Other ASIC/SoC roles

I’m open to opportunities across any location in India and would appreciate any leads, referrals, or advice on companies currently hiring 2026 graduates in these areas.

Please comment or DM me if you know of any relevant openings or opportunities.

Thanks in advance!

20F So guys as I have told in my previous posts I'm from tier 3 clg pursuing btech ece in 3rd yr rn. So recently I made a post regarding embedded vs vlsi. Now that I have found that companies don't come for vlsi roles in my uni. Tcs, infosys etc come So I think I should leave core and start preparing for software roles. But I'm also confused like won't there be competition with cs guys for same roles? I want professionals as well as seniors to share their ideas on this. So which language should I prefer amongst the two I mentioned.

Ps: 20M BTW 😅

Pls tell me the pattern of questions and how much time was allotted for each section, also can you give me the exact question asked in OA try remember the crux of the question what it was trying to ask. pls tell the coding question

B.Tech fresher here, preparing for an Onsemi Analog & Mixed Signal Product Engineering interview. The role involves ATE testing, silicon validation/characterization, debugging, analog/mixed-signal fundamentals, PCB/lab measurements, and Python/C/C++.

What kind of technical questions should I expect? Any interview experiences or topics I should focus on?

Hi guys,

Wanted to know by when google usually calls for loop round interviews after having 1st technical screening.

This post if for silicon validation (google)

the opportunities , career growth , stability .

Hii, i have just started my 3rd year in vlsi specialization at a NIT, how difficult is it to get internship off campus, i am targeting vlsi and digital roles.

I am active on linkedin but still somehow i miss when the career portals open,is there any specific whatsapp channel or linkedin page that posts all the opportunities in semiconductor domain

How to prepare myself for internship, like what skills should i have and where can i improve more

I have around 9 cgpa, studied verilog and also did a research intern this summer break but my projects are average.

Please guide me. 🙏