Chief Competitive Performance & Microarchitecture Analysis

AMD; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 230,000 - 320,000; Full time

Job summary

AMD is seeking a hands-on technical leader and architect to establish the Advanced Competitive Performance capability in Austin. You will set the standard for predicting, validating and communicating future server CPU competitiveness across x86, Arm, cloud-custom and CPU-plus-accelerator platforms.

You will challenge architecture and workload assumptions, quantify uncertainty and turn complex evidence into timely decisions, delivering clear executive readouts and actionable guidance.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated senior technical leadership in CPU or system performance.
• Record of turning low-level performance evidence into decisions.
• Deep understanding of CPU pipelines, caches, NUMA, memory bandwidth and I/O.
• Strong experimental design, benchmarking fairness and reproducibility.

Responsibilities

• Set the technical strategy and workload priorities for CPU performance forecasting.
• Own the predict-validate-translate cycle: architecture and platform assumptions, forecast ranges and model tuning.
• Lead reviews of assumptions covering cores, cache and memory hierarchies, I/O, power, platform behavior.
• Establish a review discipline for measured results, modeled inference and uncertainty.
• Integrate x86, Arm, cloud-custom and CPU-plus-accelerator analyses into a single decision-ready view.
• Deliver concise executive readouts explaining position, drivers and actions.
• Partner with architecture, product and software teams to translate evidence into recommendations.
• Set standards for fair benchmarking, configuration control and data provenance.

Skills

CPU performance

System architecture

Performance modeling

Executive communication

Benchmarking

Cross-ISA analysis

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Electrical or Computer Engineering

Tools

Architectural simulators

Performance counters

Telemetry

Job description

ADVANCE YOUR CAREER. ADVANCE THE WORLD.

At AMD, we believe technology has the power to solve the world’s most important challenges. From advancing healthcare and scientific discovery to powering AI and the technologies people rely on every day, innovation at AMD is shaping the future.

ADVANCE YOUR CAREER. ADVANCE THE WORLD.

At AMD, we believe technology has the power to solve the world’s most important challenges. From advancing healthcare and scientific discovery to powering AI and the technologies people rely on every day, innovation at AMD is shaping the future. Whether you’re designing next-gen processors, enabling AI breakthroughs, or bringing leading edge products to market, every role at AMD contributes to something bigger — technology that moves the world forward. Join us and, together, we’ll advance your career.

THE ROLE

AMD is seeking a hands-on technical leader and architect to establish the Advanced Competitive Performance capability. You will set the standard for how AMD predicts, validates and communicates future server CPU competitiveness across x86, Arm, cloud-custom and CPU-plus-accelerator platforms. This is a technical-authority role: you will personally challenge architecture and workload assumptions, quantify uncertainty and turn complex evidence into timely decisions.

THE PERSON

You are a respected performance architect who moves comfortably between microarchitecture, workload behavior, quantitative modeling and executive communication. You make uncertain 24-36 month forecasts useful without creating false precision, welcome rigorous peer review and explain both AMD opportunity and competitive risk with clarity and humility.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Set the technical strategy, workload priorities and operating rhythm for AMD competitive CPU performance forecasting.
• Own the predict-validate-translate cycle: workload taxonomy, architecture and platform assumptions, forecast ranges, validation, model tuning and business translation.
• Lead reviews of assumptions covering CPU cores, cache and memory hierarchies, I/O, power, platform behavior, software stacks and workload scaling.
• Establish a review discipline that distinguishes measured results, sourced assumptions, modeled inference and uncertainty.
• Integrate x86, Arm, cloud-custom and CPU-plus-accelerator analyses into one decision-ready view of competitive risks and expected AMD advantage.
• Deliver concise executive readouts that explain expected position, confidence, key drivers and recommended actions.
• Partner with architecture, product and software teams to translate evidence into feature and platform recommendations.
• Set standards for fair benchmarking, configuration control, partner validation, data provenance, clean-room governance and forecast-versus-actual learning.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE

• Demonstrated senior technical leadership in CPU or system performance, computer architecture, performance modeling or competitive benchmarking.
• A record of turning low-level performance evidence into architecture, platform or product decisions.
• Deep understanding of CPU pipelines, branch prediction, execution resources, cache and TLB behavior, NUMA, memory bandwidth and latency, system I/O, and cross-ISA effects.
• Strong command of experimental design, benchmark fairness, configuration control, statistical interpretation and reproducibility.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication, including the ability to present risk, confidence, alternatives and recommended action to senior audiences.
• Experience working across architecture, software, platform, product, field or customer, and business stakeholders.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE

• Direct experience with AMD EPYC, Intel Xeon, Arm Neoverse or cloud-custom server CPUs.
• Pre-silicon performance modeling, architectural simulators, silicon performance counters or platform telemetry.
• Partner, customer or OEM performance-lab collaboration and cross-company benchmark validation.
• AI host-CPU or system analysis, accelerator utilization, rack power, density or system-level TCO.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE

• Define a new technical capability and its standards rather than inherit a mature process.
• Influence decisions across CPU architecture, software, platform engineering, product planning and executive leadership.
• Make long-range competitive forecasts technically honest, measurable and operationally useful.

ACADEMIC CREDENTIALS

• Bachelors or Masters degree in electrical or computer engineering

LOCATION

Austin, Texas

This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

Benefits offered are described: AMD benefits at a glance.

AMD and its subsidiaries are equal opportunity, inclusive employers and will consider all applicants without regard to age, ancestry, color, marital status, medical condition, mental or physical disability, national origin, race, religion, political and/or third-party affiliation, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We encourage applications from all qualified candidates and will accommodate applicants’ needs under the respective laws throughout all stages of the recruitment and selection process.

AMD may use Artificial Intelligence to help screen, assess or select applicants for this position. AMD’s “Responsible AI Policy” is available here.

This posting is for an existing vacancy.