Senior CPU Power Architect
NVIDIAJob Title
Senior CPU Power Architect
Role Summary
Drive and optimize CPU power efficiency across the full design cycle - from early architectural modeling through RTL implementation to silicon validation. Collaborate with architecture, software, RTL, physical design, and validation teams to identify power-saving opportunities, guide trade-offs, and validate models against silicon data.
This role supports NVIDIA's CPU efforts (e.g., Grace, Vera) to improve performance-per-watt for data-center and cloud workloads.
Experience Level
Senior-level role. Requires at least 5 years of relevant ASIC power measurement and optimization experience.
Responsibilities
Primary duties include power estimation, optimization, test development, silicon validation, and cross-functional collaboration.
- Perform pre-silicon power estimation at C-model, RTL, and netlist stages using industry-standard tools.
- Identify power inefficiencies and drive design improvements with architects, RTL designers, and PD engineers.
- Create targeted power characterization tests for simulation and silicon (peak power, di/dt stress patterns, etc.).
- Set up lab power measurement equipment, measure CPU power/performance on silicon, and correlate results with pre-silicon estimates to refine models.
- Partner across teams to balance power efficiency and performance goals throughout the design cycle.
Requirements
Must-have experience and skills.
- 5+ years working in ASIC power measurement and optimization.
- Strong understanding of leakage and dynamic power in VLSI circuits.
- Experience with RTL and netlist power analysis tools (e.g., PowerArtist, PrimeTime PX, or equivalent).
- Familiarity with CPU microarchitecture and its impact on power (pipeline design, out-of-order execution, cache hierarchy, branch prediction).
- Ability to collaborate and communicate technical trade-offs across architecture, RTL, PD, and validation teams.
Nice-to-have:
- Experience with DVFS, clock gating, power gating, and multi-voltage domain design.
- Proficiency using AI tools for automation and data analysis.
- Experience with lab instrumentation for power measurement and silicon bring-up.
Education Requirements
Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science - or equivalent practical experience.
About the Company
Company: NVIDIA
Headquarters: Santa Clara, California, USA
NVIDIA is a global leader in accelerated computing, renowned for its innovative solutions in AI and digital twins that transform diverse industries. The company specializes in networking technologies, providing end-to-end InfiniBand and Ethernet solutions for servers and storage that optimize performance and scalability. NVIDIA serves sectors such as high-performance computing, enterprise data centers, and cloud computing, constantly reinventing its products and services to stay ahead in the market.
