Asic design engineer vs radio frequency engineer

The differences between asic design engineers and radio frequency engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an asic design engineer and a radio frequency engineer. Additionally, an asic design engineer has an average salary of $109,252, which is higher than the $88,301 average annual salary of a radio frequency engineer.

The top three skills for an asic design engineer include architecture, SOC and rtl design. The most important skills for a radio frequency engineer are test equipment, antenna, and system performance.

Asic design engineer vs radio frequency engineer overview

	Asic Design Engineer	Radio Frequency Engineer
Yearly salary	$109,252	$88,301
Hourly rate	$52.52	$42.45
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	71,370	35,158
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	6	6

What does an asic design engineer do?

An ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) design engineer is responsible for creating architectural specifications and model statements for ASIC systems to support business operations and requirements. ASIC design engineers determine network solutions to resolve system complexities and enhance simulation optimization for design integration. They must have excellent technical skills, especially in writing and analyzing programming codes and languages, modify existing logic, and improve circuit infrastructures. An ASIC design engineer runs multiple quality checks with the output, ensuring that it adheres to regulations and guidelines.

What does a radio frequency engineer do?

A radio frequency engineer, also known as RF engineer, specializes in designing and developing communication systems using radio waves. One of their primary responsibilities revolves around creating networks and systems and testing equipment. They make sure that equipment is up to high standards by traveling to different areas as needed, troubleshooting issues to identify the root of problems and performing corrective measures required. Furthermore, a radio frequency engineer must continuously optimize equipment quality and ensure efficiency while adhering to the laws and regulations.

Asic design engineer vs radio frequency engineer salary

Asic design engineers and radio frequency engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Asic Design Engineer	Radio Frequency Engineer
Average salary	$109,252	$88,301
Salary range	Between $82,000 And $144,000	Between $67,000 And $115,000
Highest paying City	Menlo Park, CA	Cupertino, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	California
Best paying company	Meta	Meta
Best paying industry	Technology	Technology

Differences between asic design engineer and radio frequency engineer education

There are a few differences between an asic design engineer and a radio frequency engineer in terms of educational background:

	Asic Design Engineer	Radio Frequency Engineer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Electrical Engineering	Electrical Engineering
Most common college	Northeastern University	Northeastern University

Asic design engineer vs radio frequency engineer demographics

Here are the differences between asic design engineers' and radio frequency engineers' demographics:

	Asic Design Engineer	Radio Frequency Engineer
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 88.3% Female, 11.7%	Male, 91.1% Female, 8.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 24.8% White, 57.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.3% Asian, 20.7% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between asic design engineer and radio frequency engineer duties and responsibilities

Asic design engineer example responsibilities.

Manage DFT, DFM of LCB/library cells.
Lead internal adoption of new SystemVerilog language features within the above block.
Manage tool issue tracking list and conduct status update meetings with EDA vendor.
Manage some minor tasks along the project cycle including manual routes, debugging, and flow development.
Utilize IBM EDA tools and tcl scripting to debug, solve, and automate custom processes unique to customer designs.
Manage EDA license forecasting and work with project managers and license operations team to track license resource capability and capacity requirements.

Radio frequency engineer example responsibilities.

Manage joint projects together with Samsung, Motorola, etc.
Lead the development of the security layer of Wi-Fi on Sandbridge's proprietary platform.
Assist with live broadcasts, update the community calendar, manage WCJW Facebook page.
Process improvement efforts and/or other opportunities to automate these processes with computer applications with C++ and/or Java where applicable.
Measure stationary test for DL and UL throughput using iPerf.
Advance WLAN troubleshooting on WLAN infrastructures, as well as surveying using AirMagnet.

Asic design engineer vs radio frequency engineer skills

Common asic design engineer skills

Architecture, 9%
SOC, 7%
Rtl Design, 6%
FPGA, 5%
C++, 5%
Perl, 5%

Common radio frequency engineer skills

Test Equipment, 9%
Antenna, 7%
System Performance, 4%
System Design, 4%
Troubleshoot, 4%
Macro, 3%

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Asic Design Engineer
Asic Design Engineer vs Radio Frequency Engineer

Updated January 8, 2025

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