AI Accelerator Software Principal Engineer – NPU Full-Stack Integration

Ampere; Portland (OR); On-site; USD 182,000 - 273,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Unlimited flextime

10+ paid holidays

Job summary

Ampere is seeking an AI Accelerator Software Principal Engineer – NPU Full‑Stack Integration to lead high‑performance, low‑latency inference on Arm Ethos U85. You will optimize software stacks from model execution to accelerator kernels and collaborate with hardware teams for scalable AI workloads.

The role demands strong C/C++, Python, and Linux systems expertise, plus ML understanding and modern AI tooling fluency. Expect a competitive base pay and comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• BS in CS/CE/EE or related field with 8+ years experience; or MS 6+ years; or PhD 3+ years.
• Experience with AOT compilation in PyTorch and edge deployment paths.
• Linux accelerator/runtime development experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• End-to-end deep learning performance acceleration.
• Model enablement with quality and speed for edge devices.
• Hardware/software co-design and optimization with platform teams.
• Build AI software components and optimized execution paths.
• Cross-functional collaboration with compiler, kernels, and product teams.

Skills

Python

C/C++

Performance profiling

Linux development

AI/ML concepts

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/CE/EE

Master's degree

PhD

Tools

PyTorch

Compiler/runtime

Linux kernel

Job description

Invent the future with us. Ampere is a semiconductor design company for a new era, leading the future of computing with an innovative approach to CPU design focused on high‑performance, energy‑efficient AI compute.

Description Ampere is a semiconductor design company for a new era, leading the future of computing with an innovative approach to CPU design focused on high‑performance, energy‑efficient AI compute. As a pioneer in the new frontier of energy‑efficient high‑performance computing, Ampere is part of the Softbank Group of companies driving sustainable computing for AI, Cloud, and edge applications. Join us at Ampere and work alongside a passionate and growing team.

About The Role

As an AI Accelerator Software Principal Engineer – NPU Full‑Stack Integration, you will lead the design and delivery of high‑performance, low‑latency deep learning inference solutions on the Arm® Ethos™-U85. You’ll help advance Ampere’s AI software stack by enabling models with performance and efficiency requirements. You will operate at the intersection of software engineering, performance engineering, and hardware‑aware optimization, contributing to the full stack from model execution to accelerator‑ready kernel performance.

What You’ll Achieve

• End‑to‑end deep learning performance acceleration
  • Framework integration layers
  • Compiler and graph/runtime support
  • Runtime libraries and user‑mode execution paths
  • Compute kernel development
  • Profiling, benchmarking, and performance tuning
• Model enablement with quality and speed – improve both performance and accuracy for models using popular frameworks, helping deliver production‑ready inference behavior in edge devices.
• Hardware/software co‑design and optimization – partner with hardware and platform teams to co‑optimize AI execution for better outcomes:
  • Increased throughput
  • Reduced latency
  • Improved scalability
  • Better resource utilization (compute/memory/IO)
  • Higher sustained performance under realistic workloads
• Build state‑of‑the‑art AI software components – contribute to the development of software and hardware AI co‑processors/accelerators, delivering reusable libraries, optimized execution paths, and robust integration with existing tooling.
• Cross‑functional collaboration – work closely with cross‑functional teams (compiler/runtime, kernels, platform, and product engineering) to integrate AI capabilities into Ampere’s cloud‑native processor platforms and accelerators.

About You

• Education and Experience: BS in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering or related technical field & 8 years of related experience; or MS degree & 6 years; or PhD & 3 years.
• Understands AOT (Ahead‑Of‑Time) compilation path in popular frameworks like PyTorch and deployment path like execuTorch in edge environment.
• Linux + accelerator/runtime expertise (preferred): experience with developing user‑mode drivers, runtime libraries, or low‑level integration for GPUs or deep learning accelerators in Linux is a plus.
• Strong systems programming & performance skills:
  • Expert in Python and C/C++
  • Strong background in performance profiling and tuning (latency/throughput, memory behavior, kernel efficiency)
• Deep ML understanding: solid understanding of AI/ML concepts including neural networks and data processing frameworks. Experience with modern deep model architectures such as Transformers and Diffusion models is preferred.
• Modern AI tooling fluency (preferred): fluent with modern AI programming tools such as Codex or Claude Code, and comfortable accelerating development workflows.

What We’ll Offer

At Ampere we believe in taking care of our employees and providing a competitive total rewards package that includes base pay, cash long‑term incentive, and comprehensive benefits. The full base pay range for this role is between $182,000 and $273,000, except in the San Francisco Bay Area where the range is between $195,000 and $292,000.

Our benefits include health, wellness, and financial programs that support employees through every stage of life.

Benefit Highlights Include

• Premium medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, income protection and a 401(k) retirement plan.
• Unlimited flextime and 10+ paid holidays to support a healthy work‑life balance.
• A variety of healthy snacks, energizing espresso, and refreshing drinks to keep you fueled and focused throughout the day.

Ampere is an inclusive and equal opportunity employer and welcomes applicants from all backgrounds. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, citizenship, religion, age, veteran and/or military status, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, physical or mental disability, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law.