Ask HN: Are there any other CPU designers here?
1. Limited choice of employers and cities – The semiconductor industry has been consolidating over the last several years, and the trend seems likely to continue. Consequently, there are currently only a handful of tech giants designing ICs. Jobs seem limited to a few major cities. SWE jobs can be found in most large cities across a range of company sizes.
2. Lack of startup/solo opportunities – SWE seems to offer many opportunities to found/join a startup or work as an independent contractor. CPU design seems to have far fewer of these opportunities, likely due to the much higher capital requirements. Will the tech sector’s current interest in AI/ML lead to many more startups in CPU design, as it has done for software design?
3. Lack of community – A search on Meetup reveals many software-related groups in my city. No such groups seem to exist for CPU design, likely due to its closed-source nature. Many free resources exist to learn the basics of coding, but learning CPU design using free tools is not as straightforward. Additionally, there seems to be little incentive to design and fabricate an open-source CPU when cheap ones can already be purchased, whereas there are many motivations for creating open-source software.
4. Compensation – I would certainly not describe CPU designers’ compensation as poor, but I’ve never read/heard about anyone outside of executives receiving annual stock grants that exceed their base salary, whereas such things seem common for SWE’s at the largest tech companies.
Are my points above incorrect, "grass is greener" observations, or does SWE have much better career prospects than CPU design?
9 comments
[ 2.3 ms ] story [ 34.4 ms ] threadI switched to SWE 2 years ago and am definitely happier with my career prospects.
2) I agree, startup cost in this field is extremely high, with a lot of competitors.
3) Although software has a lot of community it is also very fractured. Depending on what you specialize in you might find a couple of groups in your area or none. Of course you will find some online groups regardless.
4) Yes the grass is always greener. I am sure that there are 1000 SWE who received great bonuses, but there are a million who got zip.
In conclusion, if your dream is to start your own company, then yes, switch. If your dream is to make money, and you are a super excellent SWE, and / or an average SPU designer, then switch.
A large part of it comes down to what brings you pleasure. We in the IT industry have an advantage over most. We are paid well and love our jobs. Well some of us love the work. Many people have one and not the other. I have known people who worked in waste processing plants who worked in their profession (Biology) for very poor pay. They all said 'you need to get a degree that pays well'. I have had as many friends in IT who loved the pay but absolutely hated the work. Those that hated the work were rarely any good.
Working at a job you hate because of the money is refered to as the 'Golden hand cuffs'
I'd look into applying at a national lab in their team that looks into new/custom chips. The supremacy of TSMC has evened out the market and even Intel is no longer a sure bet long term.
I'd like to explore chip design but I think that requires an electrical engineering degree which I don't have.
Most of them have some kind of partnership with a large company that has a fab, that will allow them to produce prototypes and get some validation going.
In my opinion the industry has really stagnated, with nobody really stepping back and looking at the whole picture.
SWE certainly has more mindshare and development. But the CPU industry is seriously greenfield at this point if you are willing to try something different than stuffing more of the same onto a smaller die.