CPU Performance – Principal Microarchitecture Exploration Engineer
ArmJob Title
CPU Performance – Principal Microarchitecture Exploration Engineer
Role Summary
Senior microarchitecture engineer on Arm's CPU Performance team, based in Austin, TX or Raleigh, NC. The role focuses on defining microarchitecture for next-generation Cortex‑X and Neoverse CPUs, developing performance models, analyzing workloads, and guiding design trade-offs.
Experience Level
Senior level. The posting specifies approximately 15 years of relevant experience in CPU/system microarchitecture development, performance modeling, or workload analysis.
Responsibilities
Work across architecture, simulation, performance modeling, and partner engagement to shape next-generation CPU designs.
- Define and design next‑generation CPU microarchitecture targeting performance, power, and area efficiency.
- Propose and evaluate microarchitectural innovations using cycle‑accurate and functional simulators.
- Estimate impacts on performance, power, and area to support design trade‑offs.
- Develop and refine performance models and correlate them with simulation results.
- Analyze workloads to identify sensitivities and guide architectural choices.
- Partner with CPU design teams and ecosystem partners to integrate and validate innovations.
- Present complex technical concepts clearly to diverse technical audiences.
- Mentor junior engineers and contribute to improving team methodologies, tools, and workflows.
Requirements
Must-have technical skills and experience.
- ~15 years experience in CPU/system microarchitecture development, performance modeling, or microarchitectural workload analysis.
- Proven expertise in high‑performance CPU microarchitecture and design trade‑offs.
- Deep understanding of performance, power, and area trade‑offs.
- Hands‑on experience with cycle‑accurate simulators and performance modeling infrastructure.
- Strong analytical and system‑level debugging skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication; ability to collaborate across teams and with partners.
Nice-to-have / preferred
- Track record of taking microarchitectural innovations from concept through implementation.
- Familiarity with advanced software engineering practices, performance profiling, and languages such as C++ and Python.
- Experience engaging directly with customers or partners to gather requirements and present findings.
- Demonstrated continuous-learning mindset and process/tool improvement experience.
Education Requirements
The posting lists Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or Computer Engineering as the relevant fields. Degree level is not specified in the source; no certifications or explicit "equivalent experience" language was provided.
About the Company
Company: Arm
Headquarters: Cambridge, United Kingdom
ARM is a global leader in semiconductor and software design, driving innovation in computing technology. The company specializes in designing processors and systems that provide the essential building blocks for electronic devices. ARM's architecture is widely used in smartphones, servers, and IoT devices, and its collaborative culture fosters bold thinking, diversity, and high-impact benefits for its talented workforce.
