Junior ASIC Design Engineer

Role Overview

Astera Labs is establishing a strategic R&D center in Israel to drive the development of complex semiconductor chips that solve the critical ‘data bottlenecks’ enabling the future of AI at scale. As we expand our presence in Israel, we’re seeking a talented Junior ASIC Design Engineer to help build our local engineering powerhouse from the ground up. This is an exciting opportunity to take on meaningful product ownership in a new site, designing the digital blocks that sit at the heart of our most ambitious connectivity projects.

As a Junior ASIC Design Engineer, you won’t just build chips – you will be part of a team defining the next generation of AI infrastructure main components. The complex digital blocks under your micro-architecture and implementation responsibilities will power the world’s largest AI clusters. You will own the journey from high-level definition through RTL implementation and backend support, transforming complex logic challenges into elegant, high-performance hardware. If you thrive on solving challenging problems in deep-submicron processes and want to contribute to the digital design foundation for AI infrastructure connectivity, this is your opportunity.

Key Responsibilities

• Design Ownership & Implementation

  • Own the journey from high-level definition through micro-architecture, coding, and debug to backend implementation support
  • Tackle complex logic challenges and transform them into elegant, high-performance hardware solutions
  • Serve as the point of contact for your logic blocks, interacting with Architecture, Verification, and Backend teams

• Quality Assurance & Design Optimization

  • Utilize industry-leading EDA tools (Lint, CDC, Synthesis, Timing, Power) and in-house quality assurance tools to ensure designs are robust, scalable, and power-efficient
  • Apply design techniques to meet PPA (Power, Performance, Area) targets
  • Contribute to design quality through verification and validation activities

• Methodology Innovation & Collaboration

  • Participate in design methodology improvements and tool automation initiatives
  • Leverage AI assistance tools and contribute to in-house automation development to make engineering workflows faster and smarter
  • Collaborate effectively across teams to ensure seamless integration

Basic Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field.

• Experience: 0–2 years of experience in logic design (relevant internships, university labs, or hands-on academic projects are highly valued).

• Technical Skills:

  • Foundational knowledge of Verilog and/or SystemVerilog.

  • Strong understanding of digital design principles and fundamental RTL coding concepts.

• Soft Skills: Excellent communication skills with a strong motivation to learn, adapt, and collaborate effectively within cross-functional teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related field