CPU Performance – Principal Microarchitecture Exploration Engineer

Location: Austin, TX or Raleigh, NC

About Arm

Arm is the industry's leading supplier of microprocessor technology, offering the widest range of microprocessor cores to address the performance, power, and cost requirements for almost all application markets. With a vibrant ecosystem of over 1,000 partners and more than 150 billion processors shipped, our technology is at the heart of a computing and connectivity revolution that continues to transform the way people live and businesses operate.

The CPU Performance team is part of Arm’s worldwide CPU development group. This diverse, engineering-focused team defines, designs, and validates Arm processor IP, collaborating with the world’s leading technology companies to enable innovation across billions of devices.

Role Description

We are seeking a CPU Micro-architect to join our CPU Performance team in Austin or Raleigh. In this role, you will focus on defining the microarchitecture for Arm’s next-generation Cortex-X and Neoverse CPUs. You will drive innovations in CPU design by developing performance models, analyzing workloads, and shaping the architecture that will power billions of devices. This position provides the opportunity to work across architecture, design, and performance analysis, while influencing both Arm’s internal design direction and partner engagement.

Responsibilities

As part of the CPU Performance – uArch Exploration team, you will be accountable for:

Architecture Definition & Innovation

• Define and design next-generation CPU microarchitecture with industry-leading performance, power, and area efficiency.
• Propose and evaluate microarchitectural innovations using cycle-accurate and functional simulators.
• Estimate impacts on performance, power, and area to guide design trade-offs.

Performance Analysis

• Develop and refine performance models to evaluate new microarchitectural ideas.
• Analyze workloads and identify sensitivities to guide design choices.
• Correlate simulation and performance results to ensure accuracy of models.

Collaboration & Influence

• Partner with CPU design teams to integrate architectural innovations into real designs.
• Engage with ecosystem partners to understand future performance requirements and workload expectations.
• Present and communicate complex technical concepts clearly across diverse audiences.

Mentorship & Leadership

• Provide technical mentorship to less-experienced engineers in microarchitecture and performance analysis.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of team methodologies, tools, and workflows.

Required Skills and Qualifications

• Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or Computer Engineering.
• 15 years shown experience in CPU/system microarchitecture development, performance modeling, or microarchitectural workload analysis.
• Proven expertise in high-performance CPU microarchitecture.
• Deep understanding of performance, power, and area trade-offs.
• Hands-on experience with cycle-accurate simulators and performance modeling infrastructure.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to debug and reason across complex systems.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated track record of successful microarchitectural innovation from concept through implementation.
• Familiarity with advanced software engineering practices, performance profiling, and programming in multiple languages (C++, Python, etc.).
• Experience directly contacting customers or partners to gather requirements and present findings.
• Passion for continuous learning and driving improvements in methodology and tools.

In Return:

You will apply your engineering skills to build support for technologies and influence millions of devices for years to come. You’ll share ideas with and learn new skills from some of the best engineers in the world!

Arm is an equal opportunity employer, committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal opportunities are available to all applicants and colleagues. We are a diverse organization of dedicated and innovative individuals, and don’t discriminate on the basis of any characteristic.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.