Physical AI Solutions Architect

Altera; Marlow; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Altera in the United Kingdom seeks a Physical AI Solutions Architect to lead end-to-end system design across robotics, drones, medical, industrial and quantum compute domains. You will drive architecture proposals, PoCs and customer engagements, delivering production-ready solutions with a focus on low-latency, deterministic performance.

The role requires a strong background in robotics and AI/ML for robotics, plus experience with ROS/ROS2 and FPGA-based platforms.

Qualifications

• Requires BS/MS, PhD preferred in robotics or related field.
• 10+ years in physical AI including robotics, drones or AI system architectures.
• Experience with robotics systems and AI/ML for robotics.

Responsibilities

• Define full-stack architectures for sensing, perception, localization, planning, and control.
• Design Sense-Think-Act pipelines with strict latency/determinism constraints.
• Evaluate hardware/software partitioning (CPU/GPU/FPGA).
• Lead technical engagements and deliver PoCs; provide architecture proposals and roadmaps.
• Drive PoC development and collaborate with engineering to build demos.
• Contribute to market analysis, reference architectures, and technical docs.

Skills

End-to-end architecture

Real-time control

Sense-Think-Act

Low-latency systems

Hardware acceleration

Customer engagements

PoC development

Robotics systems

AI/ML for robotics

Education

BS/MS/PhD in Robotics/EE/CS

Tools

ROS/ROS2

FPGA RTL/HLS

Job description

Job Details: Job Description: We are seeking a Physical AI Solutions Architect to lead the design and delivery of next-generation robotics, drones, medical, industrial and quantum compute systems that combine AI, real-time control, and heterogeneous compute (CPU/GPU/FPGA). This role is responsible for defining end-to-end system architectures, driving customer engagements and PoCs, and translating advanced Physical AI concepts into production-ready solutions. The ideal candidate bridges sense-Think-Act physical AI pipeline, and hardware acceleration, with a strong focus on low-latency, deterministic, and scalable systems deployed in real-world environments.

Key Responsibilities

• End-to-End Physical AI System Architecture. Define full-stack architectures spanning sensors, perception, localization, planning, control and actuation.
• Design Sense-Think-Act pipelines with strict latency and determinism constraints.
• Evaluate hardware/software partitioning, especially CPU vs GPU vs FPGA mapping.
• Customer Engagement & Solution Delivery: Lead technical engagements with physical AI customers. Translate customer requirements into architecture proposals and solution roadmaps and deliver: Technical presentations and executive briefings System-level design recommendations Competitive positioning vs GPU/CPU alternatives
• Proof-of-Concept (PoC) & Prototyping: Drive PoC development to validate architecture and performance, and work with engineering teams to build demos
• Physical AI Strategy & Market Development: Analyze physical AI market trends, customer needs, and competitive landscape Define physical AI solution stack (hardware + software + middleware) Reference architectures for key segments Contribute to white papers, technical blogs, and training materials

Qualifications

• Must have BS/MS, PhD preferred in Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
• 10+ years' experience in physical AI including robotics, drones, AI systems, or solutions architecture
• Strong expertise in one or more domains: Robotics systems and AI/ML for robotics.
• Experience with: ROS / ROS2 FPGA platforms (RTL, HLS) - Preferred, but not mandatory
• Real-time control systems and deterministic processing
• E2E robotics control loop architecture
• World modeling and point cloud generation
• Motion planning
• Physical AI SDK
• Familiarity with: Sensor fusion, localization, motion planning, control loops
• VLA and VLM models

Travel Requirements: 30% Job Type: Regular Shift: Shift 1 (United Kingdom) Primary Location: Marlow, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom Additional Locations: Posting Statement: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, religious creed, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, military and veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, gender, gender expression, gender identity, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected by local law, regulation, or ordinance.

About Altera Altera: Accelerating Innovators

Altera provides leadership programmable solutions that are easy-to-use and deploy in applications from cloud to edge, offering limitless AI possibilities. Our end-to-end broad portfolio of products including FPGAs, CPLDs, Intellectual Property, development tools, System on Modules, SmartNICs and IPUs provide the flexibility to accelerate innovation. Altera is helping to shape the future through pioneering innovation that unlocks extraordinary possibilities for everyone on the planet.