Principal SoC Architect, AI Data Center

Job Title

Principal SoC Architect, AI Data Center

Role Summary

Qualcomm's Data Center AI Architecture team defines next-generation SoC and data center systems for generative AI inference. This role leads SoC, memory, and system architecture efforts to meet performance, bandwidth, capacity, and scalability targets across multiple product generations.

Experience Level

Senior-level. Requires roughly 6–8+ years of systems engineering or related experience depending on degree (see Education Requirements); preferred candidates have 10+ years of relevant architecture experience.

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities include defining architectures, driving analysis, and partnering across teams:

• Provide technical leadership for SoC and system architecture studies, product definition, and implementation guidance.
• Translate product and workload requirements into scalable SoC and system solutions.
• Develop SoC and system models and specifications; drive feature requirements into technology, IP, platform, and software teams.
• Quantify system-level performance, power, area, cost, capacity, memory bandwidth, network topology/bandwidth/latency, and scalability tradeoffs; drive analysis methods and tools.
• Follow designs through implementation and production; correlate observed system performance with models and targets; identify root causes and drive performance to closure.
• Drive competitive analysis across SoC, platform, system, compute, memory, networking, software, and deployment considerations.
• Partner across architecture, design, systems, product, software, platform, and customer teams to influence roadmaps and deliver market-leading systems.
• Identify areas for innovation and drive development of patents; provide team leadership and mentor technical contributors.

Requirements

Must-have skills and experience. See Education Requirements for degree and years mapping.

• 6–10+ years of systems engineering, SoC, platform, or system architecture experience (see Education Requirements for specific minimums).
• 2+ years experience in one or more system architecture technology areas and products (for example: power/system, shared resource management, limits/thermal management, hardware islands).
• Deep computer and system architecture expertise spanning processors, accelerators, memory systems, interconnects, hardware/software interfaces, platform topology, and implementation tradeoffs.
• Ability to lead quantitative studies using calculators, spreadsheets, analytical models, profilers, and simulators; develop architecture methodologies, tools, and frameworks.
• Experience correlating modeled and measured system performance; isolating hardware/software bottlenecks and driving cross-functional performance closure.
• Strong technical and executive communication, documentation, and interpersonal skills; record of cross-team leadership and alignment-building.
• Programming ability for architecture modeling and automation; object-oriented C++ and Python preferred.

Nice-to-have: Generative AI and LLM inference workload understanding; DRAM and memory-controller architecture knowledge (LPDDR, HBM, DDR, GDDR); experience with RAS, ECC, security, networking (Ethernet/InfiniBand/RDMA), chiplets, PHYs, advanced packaging, power/thermal, and system scalability; familiarity with using AI to accelerate workflows.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, ECE, CE, or a related technical field. Minimum experience varies by degree: Bachelor's +8 years, Master's +7 years, PhD +6 years. Preferred candidates may hold an MS or PhD; preferred experience is 10+ years.

About the Company

Company: Qualcomm

Headquarters: San Diego, California, United States

Qualcomm is a global leader in semiconductor and telecommunications equipment, specializing in mobile technologies and innovations. Known for its Adreno GPUs, the company provides solutions enabling advancements in mobile gaming, AI, VR/AR, and autonomous driving. Qualcomm's cutting-edge technology and commitment to high-performance, power-efficient designs drive the evolution of mobile graphics and connectivity worldwide.