Senior SDK Hardware Simulator Engineer

Blackshark; Delft; On-site; EUR 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Innatera in the Netherlands is seeking a Senior SDK Hardware Simulation Engineer to drive the development of our high‑fidelity C++ simulators that mirror our neuromorphic processors. You’ll enable early application development and system validation before hardware is available, collaborating with hardware, firmware, and SDK teams.

You’ll design modular, testable software architectures, model CPUs, memory, and components, and contribute to performance, power, and latency insights.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in CS, EE, or related field.
• Strong C++ development skills (C++17/20).
• Experience with modular, maintainable software architecture.
• Experience in transaction-level modeling of hardware components.
• Solid understanding of CPU, memory systems, DMA, and digital hardware fundamentals.
• Familiarity with hardware/software co-design concepts.
• Practical Python knowledge for scripting and SDK integration.
• Excellent communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement high-performance C++ hardware simulators for neuromorphic processors.
• Convert hardware specs into verifiable software models.
• Contribute to performance modeling including power and latency.
• Support early application development with configurable simulation tools.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to reflect real hardware in models.
• Own simulation infrastructure quality via tests and code reviews.
• Expand SDK features to improve usability for developers.
• Participate in team brainstorming and other SDK tasks.

Skills

C++ development

Modular software architecture

Transaction-level modeling

Python scripting

Communication skills

Digital hardware fundamentals

RTL simulations

Low-power embedded familiarity

Bare-metal firmware

RISC-V / ARM

ML / Edge AI / SNN knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field

Tools

Python

RTL simulations

Job description

About Us:

Innatera is a rapidly growing Dutch semiconductor company that develops ultra-efficient neuromorphic processors for AI at the edge. These microprocessors mimic the brain’s mechanisms for processing fast data streams from sensors, enabling complex turn‑key sensor analytics functionalities, with 10,000x higher performance per watt than competing solutions. Innatera's technology serves as a critical enabler for next‑generation use cases in the IoT, wearable, embedded, and automotive domains.

To support our rapid development roadmap, we’re looking for a Senior SDK Hardware Simulation Engineer to help drive the development of our simulation environment by enabling early application development and system validation before hardware is available. As a key member of our SDK team, you’ll be responsible for designing and building accurate, high-performance C++ hardware simulators that accurately reflect our neuromorphic architecture. This role is critical to how our software and hardware teams collaborate to test, validate, and iterate on next‑gen chip designs.

We will trust you with:

• Design and implement simulation models in modern C++ (C++17/20) to replicate the functions of neuromorphic processors, CPUs, memory systems, and other components in the full SoC;
• Convert technical hardware specs into high‑performance, verifiable software models;
• Contribute to performance modeling: simulate power consumption, latency to identify performance bottlenecks;
• Support early application development with accurate and configurable hardware simulation tools;
• Work closely with cross‑functional teams (Digital Design, Firmware, SDK) to ensure models reflect the real hardware faithfully;
• Take ownership of simulation infrastructure quality: write unit tests, review code, and continuously improve design and maintainability;
• Collaborate on expanding our SDK feature set, ensuring the usability of the simulation for external developers.
• Participate in team brainstorming and contribute to other SDK development tasks as needed.

What will you need to succeed:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field;
• Strong C++ development skills (including C++17/20);
• Proven track record of designing modular, maintainable, and testable software architecture;
• Experience in transaction‑level modeling of hardware components;
• Solid understanding of digital hardware fundamentals (e.g., CPU, instruction sets, memory systems, DMA);
• Familiarity with hardware/software co‑design concepts;
• Working knowledge of Python (e.g., for scripting, automation, or SDK integration);
• Great communication skills.

Nice to have:

• Experience working with RTL simulations, waveforms, and understanding how hardware behaves at the signal level;
• Experience in low‑power resource‑constrained embedded programming;
• Exposure to bare‑metal firmware development, including assembly language;
• Familiarity with RISC‑V or ARM computer architectures;
• Knowledge of machine learning, edge AI, and SNN (Spiking Neural Networks).

Whether you’re passionate about microarchitecture, excited by verification or physical design, driven by supporting operations, building strong teams, or mastering the details of accounting, we’d love to hear from you!

Innatera is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds and experiences and are committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and respectful workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, age, or other protected characteristics. If you require accommodations during the recruitment process, please let us know – we’re happy to support you.