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ASIC / Chip Design Engineer

Q: What is the average ASIC / Chip Design Engineer salary at an AI startup?

The median pay for a ASIC / Chip Design Engineer at an AI-native startup is $215K, with a range of $176K to $245K based on 115 public job postings collected in 2025–2026.

ASIC / Chip Design Engineers at high-growth companies earn $176K–$245K. Median: $215K. Based on 115 public job postings (2025–2026). US DOL certified wage filings (FY2026): $175K median (▲ +48% since 2020).

💰 $176K–$245K salary range

Median: $215K · Based on 115 public job postings · Updated August 30, 2026

Crafting the specialized hardware that powers cutting-edge artificial intelligence, these engineers architect and implement high-performance, energy-efficient custom silicon tailored for accelerating neural networks and complex AI workloads. Compensation for this role ranges from $198K to $272K, with a median of $230K, derived from 43 analyzed job postings within high-growth companies. Professionals commanding top pay demonstrate expertise in custom AI accelerator IP design, advanced power optimization for compute-intensive models, and high-bandwidth memory (HBM) integration. A strong foundation in hardware verification methodologies and high-speed digital design is also highly valued, ensuring robust and scalable AI inference and training solutions crucial for product leadership.

📊 Salary breakdown

ASIC / Chip Design Engineer salary by location

All locations: $215K median ($176K–$245K typical range)
Seattle: $232K median, $210K–$236K range (+8% vs. national)
Austin: $144K median, $125K–$144K range (-33% vs. national)
New York: $288K median, $275K–$300K range (+34% vs. national)
San Francisco: $205K median, $170K–$216K range (-5% vs. national)

Highest paying companies

New York

Jane Street: $288K median

Seattle

K2 Space: $210K median

Based on companies with 3+ active postings. Median of publicly advertised salary range.

What's typically included

Health insurance: 81% of postings
Equity (RSU/options): 81% of postings
Flexible PTO: 59% of postings
Parental leave: 63% of postings
Learning/education budget: 1% of postings
Visa sponsorship: 5% of postings

Typical experience required: 7–11 years.

Engineering salaries by seniority

What does a ASIC / Chip Design Engineer do?

ASIC / Chip Design Engineers are engineers who design, build, and operate the core software systems. This benchmark reflects Senior-level base compensation at high-growth and AI-native companies.

Government wage data

For corroboration, U.S. Department of Labor certified wage filings (FY2026) show a median of $175K for ASIC / Chip Design Engineer roles, ranging $150K–$201K, across 1,398 filings. This is reported separately from — never blended with — the job-posting median above.

Common questions

What is the average ASIC / Chip Design Engineer salary at an AI startup?
The median pay is $215K, with a typical range of $176K–$245K, based on 115 public job postings collected in 2025–2026.

Where does this salary data come from?
It is aggregated from public job postings on company career pages — no private placement or client data. We require a minimum of 15 postings per role.

Methodology

Figures are the midpoint of each posting's advertised USD salary range, aggregated from 115 public job postings (2025–2026). The range shown is the 25th–75th percentile; the median is the 50th percentile. Equity is separate and not included; where a posting's range reflects on-target earnings (OTE) for commission roles, that is included in the midpoint. Roles require at least 15 postings to be published. Last refreshed August 30, 2026.

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