Formal Verification Lead

What To Expect
Tesla's AI Hardware team is at the forefront of revolutionizing artificial intelligence through cutting-edge custom silicon. The team designs and develops advanced AI inference chips that accelerate Tesla's machine learning workloads. A cornerstone of this effort is Dojo
, Tesla's custom supercomputer built to train massive neural networks on fleet video data. The hardware powers the neural networks behind Full Self-Driving (FSD) and the Tesla Optimus humanoid robot.

Tesla is rapidly expanding its AI Hardware engineering presence in Bengaluru
to design and verify next-generation custom silicon. We are seeking a Lead Formal Verification Engineer
to build and lead the formal verification function from India. You will work closely with global architects, RTL designers, and both formal and
simulation verification teams (primarily in the US) to deliver high-quality tape-outs while establishing world-class formal verification practices, tools, and talent in Bengaluru.

This is a high-impact leadership role where you will shape the formal verification strategy for complex AI accelerator designs and help scale the India site's verification capabilities. If you thrive on solving challenging problems, mentoring engineers, and driving technical excellence in a fast-paced environment, this role is for you.

What You'll Do

Lead and mentor a team of formal verification engineers in Bengaluru, providing technical direction, coaching, and career development while building the function from the ground up.

Define comprehensive formal verification plans, strategies, and sign-off criteria for critical AI Hardware IP blocks and subsystems in alignment with global architecture and design teams.

Review and influence RTL design architecture and specifications to improve verifiability and reduce verification complexity.

Prove functional correctness of design features using advanced formal methods (model checking, logical equivalence checking, theorem proving) and drive formal sign-off in conjunction with simulation-based verification.

Develop, maintain, and scale regressions, custom tools, infrastructure, and integrated formal + functional verification methodologies optimized for high-complexity AI/ML accelerator designs.

Establish best practices, training programs, and process improvements for formal verification across the India team and in close collaboration with US-based counterparts.

Drive cross-functional technical alignment on verification closure, tape-out readiness, and risk mitigation with global stakeholders.

Support hiring and help grow a high-caliber formal verification team in Bengaluru.

Represent the India verification team in design reviews, methodology discussions, and executive-level technical updates.

What You'll Bring

Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.

8+ years of experience verifying complex hardware systems, with significant hands-on work in formal verification (model checking or logical equivalence checking). Prior experience leading verification efforts, small teams, or acting as a technical lead/staff engineer is strongly preferred.

Solid programming skills in SystemVerilog, SVA (or PSL), and scripting languages.

Proven expertise in debugging complex ASIC/SoC designs — CPU, GPU, fabric/NoC, memory subsystems, high-speed protocols (PCIe, Ethernet, etc.), or AI/ML accelerators.

Strong knowledge of advanced computer architecture and micro-architecture concepts.

Experience with formal verification tools and flows (e.g., JasperGold, VC Formal, or equivalent) is highly desirable.

Excellent communication and collaboration skills to work effectively with distributed global teams across time zones.

Passion for Tesla's mission and a track record of delivering results in high-stakes, fast-moving environments.

Experience with AI hardware accelerators or high-performance computing chips is a strong plus.