Hardware Research Analyst

Employment Type: Full-Time
Work Setting: In-office/Hybrid
Work Location: Hillsboro, Oregon (United States)
Work Hours: Office hours
Find out more here: https://semianalysis.com


Position Overview

We are seeking a Hardware Research Analyst to join our team in Hillsboro, OR, producing published technical analysis of leading-edge AI and datacenter hardware. You will take products through teardown in our lab and turn physical evidence into the research the industry reads first.

Each product becomes a body of published work, and you write it: the most important stories of the teardown told in technical prose, backed by the complete data and analysis.

The role rewards the analyst temperament. The strongest people in this work follow the industry in real time, keep up with conferences and papers, work their networks constantly, and want their name on research that holds up in front of the people who built the product.

We have several open roles in the lab; apply to the closest fit and we'll route you.


Responsibilities

• Publish a complete body of work for each product, from the most important stories of the teardown through the full data and analysis

• Own products end to end: acquisition planning, teardown strategy, lab analysis, interpretation, and publication

• Analyze hardware at every level: silicon process and die architecture, packaging, memory, power delivery, interconnect, board and system design, and cost

• Set the analytical plan for each teardown; operate the toolchain and direct more specialized work as needed

• Maintain contemporaneous coverage of the industry through conferences, papers, patents, and supply chain signals, and bring it into every report

• Build and work an expert network across the supply chain to test and sharpen conclusions

• Translate physical evidence into architectural intent, cost structure, and roadmap implications

• Contribute to the growth and expansion of the lab's capabilities and output; bring your unique skills to a strong and expansive team
  

  
  

Requirements

• We are hiring at all experience levels: 2+ years in hardware or silicon engineering, system architecture, or technical industry analysis is preferred; exceptional candidates at any level are encouraged to apply
  

• Genuine exposure to leading-edge parts
  

• Broad functional knowledge of AI and datacenter hardware: GPUs, CPUs, accelerators, memory, networking, power delivery, and packaging, from die to rack
  

• Strong technical writing with work you can show: published articles, papers, or substantial long-form technical documents
  

• An established research habit: you already track this industry through conferences, papers, and product launches
  

• Ability to reason across layers, from device and circuit through architecture, system, workload, and cost
  

• Hands-on experience with, or strong aptitude for, semiconductor sample preparation and analytical tools such as precision polishing, FIB, SEM, and related electron-beam, X-ray, and compositional methods
  

Helpful Skills

• Direct engineering experience on leading-edge silicon or systems: design, architecture, validation, silicon debug, failure analysis, or manufacturing
  

• Interpreting micrographs, die imagery, and electrical measurements to infer design and process characteristics
  

• Cost modeling: die cost, bill of materials, and total cost of ownership
  

• Advanced packaging knowledge (2.5D/3D integration, hybrid bonding, HBM, co-packaged optics)
  

• Python for data analysis and engineering tasks (image analysis, data pipelines, automation)
  

• A public technical writing track record or existing industry following
  

• Conference participation as attendee or presenter (ISSCC, IEDM, VLSI, Hot Chips, ISTFA, PAINE, ECTC, OCP)
  

• Strong professional network of experts
  

Growth Areas

• Deepen coverage of next-generation AI hardware: custom accelerators, chiplet-based designs, HBM, and optical interconnect
  

• Build hands-on depth across the lab's analytical toolchain, from sample preparation through electron microscopy and compositional analysis
  

• Grow a public research profile through bylined reports, conference engagement, and standing with industry experts
  

• Strengthen collaboration with research, manufacturi