Principal CPU Architect

Job Title

Principal CPU Architect

Role Summary

Lead performance analysis and workload-driven microarchitecture guidance for next-generation CPU and SoC designs. Work with hardware architects, software/toolchain experts, and global teams to translate real-world infrastructure workloads into microarchitectural and software-level requirements.

Experience Level

Senior — typically requires 10+ years of relevant experience in CPU performance, SoC performance, microarchitecture, or workload characterization.

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities include:

• Analyze and characterize complex infrastructure workloads to identify performance, power, and cost bottlenecks.
• Attribute workload performance to software (applications, toolchain, libraries) and CPU/system microarchitecture.
• Drive microarchitectural and software-level recommendations for next-generation processors and systems.
• Collaborate with cross-functional and geographically distributed engineering teams, including architects and software/toolchain experts.
• Maintain awareness of competitive landscape and emerging technologies relevant to infrastructure, computer vision, and machine learning.

Requirements

Concise must-have and nice-to-have qualifications.

Must-have:

• Practical experience in CPU architecture/microarchitecture through development, research, performance analysis, modelling, design, or workload characterization.
• Ability to distil workload performance into actionable software and microarchitectural insights.
• Experience working independently and as part of distributed, cross-functional teams.
• Strong analytical mindset and ability to influence design decisions through empirical investigation.

Nice-to-have:

• Experience developing CPU performance models and infrastructure for performance analysis.
• Background optimizing or characterizing open-source software stacks.
• Experience with CPU infrastructure architectures, system constraints, and advanced microarchitectural techniques (e.g., branch prediction, prefetchers).
• Experience working with early-stage or research technologies and following recent research advances.

Education Requirements

University degree in computer science, computer engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience. The posting expects senior-level experience (noted as 10+ years) in CPU/SoC performance.

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.