Sr. Principal CPU Architect

Invent the future with us.   Recognized by Fast Company’s 2023 100 Best Workplaces for Innovators List, Ampere is a semiconductor design company for a new era, leading the future of computing with an innovative approach to CPU design focused on high-performance, energy efficient, sustainable cloud computing.  By providing a new level of predictable performance, efficiency, and sustainability Ampere is working with leading cloud suppliers and a growing partner ecosystem to deliver cloud instances, servers and embedded/edge products that can handle the compute demands of today and tomorrow.  Join us at Ampere and work alongside a passionate and growing team — we’d love to have you apply!  About the role:  We are looking for a Sr. Principal CPU Architect to join a small but growing CPU group, advancing the art of high-performance circuit design, to lead I/O and management component architecture within the SOC. Ideal candidates will channel their creativity to contribute in cross-spectrum flow and methodology, working closely with circuit design architects. They will have high levels of flexibility to craft productivity improvement flows to make highly visible contributions. What you’ll achieve: 

• Define the design of a server-class microprocessor core
• Define the design of a server-class SoC including mesh interconnect, PCIe/CXL subsystem
• Craft workflows to understand pre-silicon behaviors of a SoC with hundreds of cores
• Understand the pipeline of ideas from research to workloads to ISA to microarchitecture to physical technology
• Create and maintain technical documents including architecture specifications, implementation guides, and user guides
• Collaborate with the team from product roadmap to design implementation
• Balance features, performance and costs to create a solution with high value and optimal use of development and physical resources
• Facilitate design development efforts, performance estimation, and performance analysis through methodology and hands-on contributions
• Learn the performance model from senior team members and helping to develop, deploy, and run microarchitecture studies for future products
• Work with microarchitecture designers in performing studies on current and future generation of CPUs
• Drive performance correlation of models using post-silicon measurement data or pre-silicon simulation results
• Collect silicon performance measurements and understanding how to vet data and filter anomalous results
• Run and report out on experiments characterizing performance of existing silicon, both pre-production and shipping silicon
• Develop automated performance testing and data post-processing
• Run micro-benchmarks and creating supporting models/relationships using the collected data
• Develop spreadsheet macros to further prepare/present performance data in appropriate formats
• Investigate performance anomalies with help from senior performance architects

About you: 

• BS degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science and 12 years of experience; or MS degree and 8 years of experience; or PhD degree and 5 years of experience
• Experience with utilization of semi-custom and custom logic design for high speed and low power
• Firmware, hypervisor, and operating system design experience (a plus)
• Virtualization and dynamic power management expertise (a plus)
• Experience with application of machine learning techniques (a plus)
• Knowledge of memory consistency models and coherency protocols
• Ability to learn and adapt, one of the foundational principles of Ampere 
• Must be self-driven, curious, organized and comfortable with ambiguity 
• Great communication skills, comfortable with reaching out and asking questions, and brainstorming with peers – working at Ampere is very much a team sport! 

What we’ll offer:  At Ampere we believe in taking care of our employees and providing a competitive total rewards package that includes base pay, bonus, equity, and comprehensive benefits. The full base pay range for this role is between $163,100 and $271,900, except in the San Francisco Bay Area where the range is between $171,800 and $286,300. We offer an annual bonus program tied to internal company goals and annual meritocratic equity awards that enable our employees to participate in the success of the company.  Our benefits include health, wellness, and financial programs that support employees through every stage of life, with full benefits eligibility at 20 hours per week. Benefits highlights include: 

• Premium medical, dental, vision insurance, as well as income protection and a 401K retirement plan, so tha