PhD Research Intern, AI Accelerator Design and VLSI - 2027

NVIDIA Research is seeking PhD-level students to work as research interns at the intersection of AI HW/SW Co-Design, Hardware Accelerator Architecture, IC Design Methodology, and VLSI Design. Ideal candidates will have a broad perspective across areas including machine learning fundamentals, quantization and numerical methods for machine learning model optimization, digital VLSI circuits for computer arithmetic, high-productivity VLSI design and verification methodologies including applications of agentic AI to hardware design, AI hardware micro-architecture, and VLSI methodology and implementation.

What You’ll Be Doing:

• Accelerator Design: Contribute to novel research advancing the state-of-the-art in the design of accelerators for AI and other high-impact workloads.
• VLSI: Research creative and innovative ASIC and VLSI design techniques and/or novel digital VLSI circuits. Apply machine learning, agentic AI, and state-of-the-art tools and methodologies to automated ASIC and VLSI design tool flows.
• AI HW/SW Co-Design: Research and develop creative and innovative numerical methods for quantization, sparsity, or tensor decomposition grounded in computer arithmetic fundamentals and digital VLSI circuits.
• Collaborate on the development of research prototype testchips.
• Collaborate with AI researchers and hardware team members in research and product teams.
• Plan to publish and present your original research.

What We Need To See:

• Pursuing a PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
• Publication records in leading ML, architecture, VLSI, or circuits conferences.
• Excellent programming skills in Python/PyTorch and hardware design languages such as SystemVerilog/C++; Experience with High-Level Synthesis (HLS) tools is a plus.
• VLSI Implementation Skills: Experience in hardware design with proficiency with modern EDA tool flows; Tapeout experience is a plus.
• Excellent self-motivation, a high degree of creativity, and a passion for research, collaboration skills, and the ability to work effectively within a research team.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with proven experience communicating technical work (e.g., academic presentations, poster sessions); ability to synthesize and explain complex technical concepts.