Also called: Place-and-Route Engineer
Takes a chip design and figures out where billions of tiny transistors and wires physically go.
You run software that places blocks on a chip the size of a fingernail, then fix spots where wires are too crowded or signals arrive too late. Getting the layout right decides whether the chip runs fast and stays cool.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. Bachelor's or master's in electrical or computer engineering.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering.
Growing faster than average (about 7% over 10 years). Tracks computer hardware engineers.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI placement tools like Cadence Cerebrus automate much floorplanning; closing timing on huge chips stays expert work.
Classes: AP Computer Science A, AP Physics, AP Calculus.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2061.
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