Meet Malin, Experienced ASIC Verification Engineer and floorball player

What is your role at Axis?

I am part of the ASIC verification team of around 15 full time employees that work with verifying our in-house developed chip ARTPEC. ASIC stands for Application-Specific Integrated Circuit, a custom-designed chip built for a specific task. For example, Axis ARTPEC chip is optimized for high-performance image processing and security applications.

As an experienced ASIC Verification Engineer, I drive the verification process for functional units of the chip, often related to image processing. There are always other people involved in the process, senior engineers to approve plans and changes and give feedback, as well as more junior engineers to spread knowledge and experience. The whole ASIC department is around 50 engineers, and we all sit in the same corridor so for example it’s easy to go and talk to the ASIC Designer to get more knowledge on a specific chip module if needed.

A typical day for me starts with our daily morning meeting where we update each other on what we did the previous day  and if we are facing any problems. It’s a great opportunity to get questions answered immediately or get pointed to resources that can help. After the meeting we usually go to have some morning fika together in the company canteen.

Then the real work begins! This varies from day to day, but it can be reading up on documentation for specific chip modules, holding meetings to set the plan for how to verify the module, joining workshops to solve some specific problem, or help with debugging, or implementing the plan, i.e. coding!

It’s very interesting and challenging work. A coffee or fruit break in the afternoon is the perfect way to refill energy and get a chance to chat about what’s going on outside of work too!

What does your team do?

We work mostly on module level verification of the chip.

For each functional module in the chip, often related to image processing, the work has different stages. Starting with planning, we collaborate with the designer of the module and other ASIC Verification Engineers to decide on what needs to be tested and how. After the planning is done, we set up the environment to be able to test the module. This can involve workshops with coworkers to problem solving, discussions in the daily, and always code walkthroughs to get feedback and make sure the plan has been fully implemented.

The last step is to run simulations until all functionality has been tested. I think it’s a nice mix of reading/planning and doing/coding, working by yourself and with others.

Since we are quite a small team, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved in tasks beyond module-level verification. These include subsystem and full-chip verification, collaborating with vendors on integration testing, working on tools like test framework and scripts for automating manual tasks, and even writing papers for conferences. Additionally, there’s the chance to test out new tools and technologies. 

What makes Axis stand out?

Developing our own chip, ARTPEC, is a key differentiator for Axis, giving us a distinct edge over the competition.

It allows us to innovate in ways others can’t, but it also comes with significant costs. That’s why ensuring the chip performs as expected after production is absolutely critical. As an ASIC Verification Engineer, I lead the verification process for functional units of the chip, particularly those related to image processing.

One unique aspect of our work is that we are a relatively small, highly specialized team developing our System-on-Chip (SoC) entirely in-house. This gives us a deep understanding and exposure to every part of the development process—whether it’s design, power optimization, or back-end work. Being so closely connected to all aspects of chip development fosters collaboration and creativity. It also makes it easy to explore new ideas and test different approaches within the ASIC, ensuring we’re always pushing boundaries.

Another thing that I think makes all of Axis stand out is the openness. Everyone is happy to share something about what they are working on, and the door is always open for questions. We help each other understand and learn.

What has your career journey at Axis looked like?

I started at Axis right out of university, so it has been a great learning journey for me. I actually applied for another job, as an embedded programmer, but I got “redirected” to ASIC team by the hiring manager because they thought I would fit better here since I had a mix of courses in integrated circuits and software from my master’s degree. My master’s was more focused on design with barely any verification, so it was a bit scary to take a job in verification! But the ASIC team here is so friendly and helpful and has developed lots of internal resources to teach new hires about verification in general, and how we do it at Axis specifically. Now that I’m more experienced I get to help teach our newbies. I’ve been a mentor and also held some internal presentations on verification topics.

During my three years here, I have learned so much and there is still so much more out there! Verification is a very interesting field and active in research and conferences.

What’s your ideal day off?

I start the day by making an iced coffee and enjoying it in the sun on my balcony. Then I go to the sports hall to prepare to play a game of floorball! I’ve played since I was 8 years old and spent 4 years playing in the highest league in Sweden but now I’m playing in a regional league to have time for other hobbies too.

Since it’s the ideal day of course we win the game, then I go home and make a nice dinner with some friends and end the night on the couch, knitting my latest sweater!

Learn more about the history of ARTPEC – the foundation of our product quality

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Want to join the team? Have a look at our open positions.