FPGA Design Engineer

About Xanadu:
Xanadu’s mission is to build quantum computers that are useful and available to people everywhere.

At Xanadu, we are learners, innovators, researchers, collaborators and problem solvers. We are creating something that has never been built before. Few people in their life will be able to be a part of something like this, where if we are successful, the technologies we develop will solve some of the world’s most challenging problems, and literally change the world. And that is something to be excited about!

Your role and responsibilities:

As an FPGA design engineer at Xanadu you will be responsible for development of new and existing FPGA designs for modules we develop in house to control and operate our photonic quantum computer.

These modules are used for phase stabilisation of optical fiber connections, control of electro-optic modulators, operation of optical homodyne measurements, photon-number resolving detectors, laser pulse sequencing, and quantum error correction, among other use cases. FPGA designs interface with various peripheral devices (such as ADCs, DACs, etc), other FPGAs, and servers.

You will work on the interface between classical compute and control infrastructure (such as GPUs and CPUs) and FPGAs to minimize latency and maximize data throughput, using interfaces such as PCIe, Infiniband, RoCE, or other high-bandwidth interfaces. You will work closely with physicists, engineers, and technicians in our labs to design and integrate these modules into our quantum computer systems. You will also provide support to the teams using these modules, debugging issues and implementing new features to increase the functionality and usability of new and existing designs.

Basic qualifications and experience:

• Course, project or work experience writing RTL (Verilog or VHDL, SystemVerilog preferred)
• Course, project or work experience developing FPGA designs interfacing with CPU/GPU (examples here)
• Course, project or work experience bringing up an FPGA design from scratch
• Experience with validation and verification of designs
• Experience writing simulation testbenches
• Familiarity with Vivado or Quartus (Vivado preferred)
• Familiarity with Python
• Some experience with TCL

Preferred qualifications and experience:

• Knowledge of general data communication interfaces and protocols (SPI, I2C, JTAG, PCIe, JESD, UART, USB, TCP/IP, etc.)
• Experience with clocking architecture, timing constraints, low jitter applications
• Experience with Xilinx FPGAs (Series 7, Ultrascale+, Versal) would be an advantage
• Familiarity with source control, particularly git
• Familiar with control systems design/theory (PID loops, feedback theory)
• Experience with bitstream/firmware/bootloader deployment strategies
• Background in hands-on debug and verification experience in a lab environment
• Experience with writing C/C++ code for embedded microcontrollers
• Experience with electronic test and measurement equipment (oscilloscope, JTAG debugging (ILA/VIO))
• Proficiency in analog and digital circuits design (e.g. op-amp, ADC/DAC, power management, FPGA, SRAM/DDR, etc.)
• Experience in reading and understanding electrical schematics, technical drawings, datasheets, and written work instructions, in order to be able to meaningfully participate in schematic review meetings and obtain FPGA design requirements from these documents
• Familiarity with photonics and optical physics

This is for a new position. Your base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and internal benchmarks. The base salary range is 100,000 - 140,000 CAD. You will also be eligible for equity and benefits.

Our values are important. They are fundamental and lay the foundation for culture at Xanadu. Learn more about our values here.

We are an equal opportunity employer and encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply. We are committed to building an inclusive, safe, and equitable culture and fostering an environment where our employees feel included, valued, and heard. We are committed to meeting the needs of all individuals and support a barrier-free workplace. Should you require accommodations at any point during the recruitment process please contact Recruiting at recruiting@xanadu.ai.

Please be advised that we may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist in the screening and assessment of applicants for this position. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.