--- title: CPU Microarchitect / RTL Design Engineer at Apple description: Apple is hiring for the CPU Microarchitect / RTL Design Engineer role in Santa Clara, CA. See the full description and apply. type: job url: https://www.foundrole.com/jobs/cpu-microarchitect-rtl-design-engineer-at-apple-01a1dac6-1202-713f-8582-3ccaa58a6e34 date: 2026-11-14T22:15:43Z og_description: Join Apple as CPU Microarchitect / RTL Design Engineer in Santa Clara, CA. Pays $216.2K–$394K per year. og_image: https://www.foundrole.com/og/5o96mi.png breadcrumbs: - label: Home url: https://www.foundrole.com/ - label: Search url: https://www.foundrole.com/jobs --- | | | |---|---| | **Company** | [Apple](https://www.foundrole.com/companies/apple?utm_source=ai_markdown) | | **Location** | Santa Clara, CA | | **Salary** | $216.2K/yr - $394K/yr | | **Posted** | Nov 14, 2026 | ## Is this job real? **Ghost job check:** A · Low risk. Probably a real opening. ## Visa sponsorship - **H-1B:** Apple sponsors H-1B visas. It filed 7,476 H-1B petitions (FY2026 Q1 – FY2026 Q4). - **E-Verify:** No E-Verify enrollment on record for Apple. ## Pay for similar jobs Most similar jobs pay $177,000 – $255,000 a year (median $214,000). ## Description ## Summary Imagine what you could do here! At Apple, new ideas have a way of becoming extraordinary products, services, and customer experiences very quickly. Bring passion and dedication to your job and there's no telling what you could accomplish. Dynamic, hard-working people and inspiring, innovative technologies are the norm here. The people who work here have reinvented entire industries with all Apple Hardware products! The same passion for innovation that goes into our products also applies to our practices strengthening our commitment to leave the world better than we found it. Join us to help deliver groundbreaking Apple products! Apple’s Silicon Engineering Group (SEG) designs high-performance, low power microprocessors that power our innovative products, including the iPhone, iPad, Watch, Vision Pro, and Mac. We are looking for an experienced technical leader and manager to drive microarchitecture and RTL development in multiple areas of our performant cores, leading the CPU RTL team at this growing site. ## Description As a CPU microarchitect/RTL Engineer, you will own or participate in the following: • Microarchitecture development and specification - from early high-level architectural exploration through micro architectural research and arriving at a detailed specification • RTL ownership – development, assessment and refinement of RTL design to target power, performance, area and timing goals • Validation - support test bench development and simulation for functional and performance verification • Performance exploration and correlation - explore high performance strategies and validate that the RTL design meets targeted performance • Design delivery - work with multifunctional engineering team to implement and validate physical design on the aspects of timing, area, reliability, testability, and power ## Minimum Qualifications - Minimum BS and 15+ years of relevant industry experience ## Preferred Qualifications - Previous experience technically leading a team of senior engineers to deliver complex microarchitecture definition and RTL development, including direct individual technical contribution - Record of mentoring and supporting the technical development of other engineers - Expertise in one or more of the following areas of microprocessor architecture: instruction fetch and decode, branch prediction, instruction scheduling and register renaming, out-of-order execution, integer and floating point execution, load/store execution, cache and memory subsystems – advanced understanding in multiple areas a plus. - Understanding of low power microarchitecture techniques. - Understanding of high performance techniques and trade-offs in a CPU microarchitecture. - Experience applying GenAI technologies to accelerate improvements in CPU performance, power and area while maintaining schedule and quality. - Experience in C or C++ programming. - Experience using an interpretive language such as Perl or Python. - Knowledge of microprocessor architecture - Knowledge of Verilog and/or VHDL - Experience with simulators and waveform debugging tools - Knowledge of logic design principles along with timing and power implications ## Pay & Benefits At Apple, base pay is one part of our total compensation package and is determined within a range. This provides the opportunity to progress as you grow and develop within a role. The base pay range for this role is between $216,200 and $394,000, and your base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location. Apple employees also have the opportunity to become an Apple shareholder through participation in Apple’s discretionary employee stock programs. Apple employees are eligible for discretionary restricted stock unit awards, and can purchase Apple stock at a discount if voluntarily participating in Apple’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You’ll also receive benefits including: Comprehensive medical and dental coverage, retirement benefits, a range of discounted products and free services, and for formal education related to advancing your career at Apple, reimbursement for certain educational expenses — including tuition. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary bonuses or commission payments as well as relocation. [Learn more about Apple Benefits](https://www.apple.com/careers/us/benefits.html) Note: Apple benefit, compensation and employee stock programs are subject to eligibility requirements and other terms of the applicable plan or program. ## EEO Statement Apple is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We seek to promote equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. [Learn more about your EEO rights as an applicant](https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/22-088_EEOC_KnowYourRights6.12ScreenRdr.pdf) ## Accessibility At Apple, we believe accessibility is a fundamental human right. You’ll find that idea reflected in everything here — in our culture, our benefits and our digital tools. By welcoming as many perspectives as possible, we help you build a career where you feel like you belong. [Learn about accessibility in Apple’s workplace](https://www.apple.com/careers/us/accessibility.html) [Learn about reasonable accommodations for job applicants](https://www.apple.com/careers/us/accommodation.html) ## Application Deadline Apple accepts applications to this posting on an ongoing basis. ## Skills - Debugging - Correlation Analysis - C - Perl - CPU/Processor Architecture - Testability - Caching - Python - Register Transfer Language RTL - Microprocessor - Trade Execution - Mentoring - Generative AI - C++ - VHDL - Simulations - Microarchitecture - Low Power Design - Physical Design - Verilog ## Benefits - Health Insurance - Dental Insurance - Employee Stock Options (ESOs) ## Related - [More jobs at Apple](https://www.foundrole.com/companies/apple?utm_source=ai_markdown) - [Engineering jobs](https://www.foundrole.com/careers/engineering?utm_source=ai_markdown)- [Electrical Engineering jobs](https://www.foundrole.com/careers/engineering/electrical-engineering?utm_source=ai_markdown)- [Hardware Engineer jobs](https://www.foundrole.com/careers/engineering/electrical-engineering/hardware-engineer?utm_source=ai_markdown)- [Computer Architecture / Performance Engineer jobs](https://www.foundrole.com/careers/engineering/electrical-engineering/hardware-engineer/computer-architecture-performance-engineer?utm_source=ai_markdown)- [Browse all companies](https://www.foundrole.com/companies?utm_source=ai_markdown) ## Explore this job market - [California](https://www.foundrole.com/locations/us/california?utm_source=ai_markdown) — 260765 jobs - [Electronics Manufacturing](https://www.foundrole.com/sectors/manufacturing/electronics-manufacturing?utm_source=ai_markdown) — 23991 jobs - [Santa Clara, CA](https://www.foundrole.com/locations/us/california/santa-clara?utm_source=ai_markdown) — 6821 jobs - [Apple](https://www.foundrole.com/companies/apple?utm_source=ai_markdown) — 4820 jobs ## Related pages - [California](https://www.foundrole.com/locations/us/california?utm_source=ai_markdown) — 260765 jobs - [Electronics Manufacturing](https://www.foundrole.com/sectors/manufacturing/electronics-manufacturing?utm_source=ai_markdown) — 23991 jobs - [Santa Clara, CA](https://www.foundrole.com/locations/us/california/santa-clara?utm_source=ai_markdown) — 6821 jobs - [Apple](https://www.foundrole.com/companies/apple?utm_source=ai_markdown) — 4820 jobs ## Browse - [Companies](https://www.foundrole.com/companies?utm_source=ai_markdown) - [Jobs by country](https://www.foundrole.com/locations?utm_source=ai_markdown) - [Jobs in the United States by state and city](https://www.foundrole.com/locations/us?utm_source=ai_markdown) - [H1B sponsors by location](https://www.foundrole.com/h1b-sponsors?utm_source=ai_markdown) - [H1B salaries](https://www.foundrole.com/h1b-salaries?utm_source=ai_markdown) - [Sectors and industries](https://www.foundrole.com/sectors?utm_source=ai_markdown) - [Jobs by career field](https://www.foundrole.com/careers?utm_source=ai_markdown) - [Latest jobs](https://www.foundrole.com/jobs/latest?utm_source=ai_markdown)