CPU Performance – Principal Microarchitecture Exploration Engineer

Arm; Raleigh (NC); Hybrid; USD 250,000 - 338,000; Full time

Job summary

Arm in Raleigh, NC or Austin, TX is seeking a CPU Micro-architect to join the CPU Performance team. You will define microarchitecture for Cortex-X and Neoverse, develop performance models, analyze workloads, and influence design direction across teams.

This role offers collaboration with design, performance, and ecosystem partners, mentorship to engineers, and a pathway to impact billions of devices.

Qualifications

• Degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or Computer Engineering with strong fundamentals.
• 15+ years experience in CPU/system microarchitecture development, performance modeling, or workload analysis.
• Proven expertise in high-performance CPU microarchitecture and understanding of power/area trade-offs.
• Hands-on experience with cycle-accurate simulators and performance modeling infrastructure.

Responsibilities

• Architecture Definition & Innovation: define design of next-gen CPU microarchitecture with top performance, power, and area efficiency.
• Performance Analysis: develop performance models and analyze workloads to guide design choices.
• Collaboration & Influence: partner with CPU design teams and ecosystem partners, communicate complex concepts effectively.
• Mentorship & Leadership: mentor engineers in microarchitecture and performance, improve team methodologies.

Skills

CPU microarchitecture

Performance modeling

Cycle-accurate simulators

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Mentorship

Hardware/software co-design

Tools

C++

Python

Job description

Job ID 2026-19586 Date posted 19/10/2026 Location Raleigh, North Carolina Category Architecture - Engineers
Location: Austin, TX or Raleigh, NC

About Arm

Arm is the industry's leading supplier of microprocessor technology, offering the widest range of microprocessor cores to address the performance, power, and cost requirements for almost all application markets. With a vibrant ecosystem of over 1,000 partners and more than 150 billion processors shipped, our technology is at the heart of a computing and connectivity revolution that continues to transform the way people live and businesses operate.

The CPU Performance team is part of Arm’s worldwide CPU development group. This diverse, engineering-focused team defines, designs, and validates Arm processor IP, collaborating with the world’s leading technology companies to enable innovation across billions of devices.

Role Description

We are seeking a CPU Micro-architect to join our CPU Performance team in Austin or Raleigh. In this role, you will focus on defining the microarchitecture for Arm’s next-generation Cortex-X and Neoverse CPUs. You will drive innovations in CPU design by developing performance models, analyzing workloads, and shaping the architecture that will power billions of devices. This position provides the opportunity to work across architecture, design, and performance analysis, while influencing both Arm’s internal design direction and partner engagement.

Responsibilities

Architecture Definition & Innovation

• Define and design next-generation CPU microarchitecture with industry-leading performance, power, and area efficiency.
• Propose and evaluate microarchitectural innovations using cycle-accurate and functional simulators.
• Estimate impacts on performance, power, and area to guide design trade-offs.

Performance Analysis

• Develop and refine performance models to evaluate new microarchitectural ideas.
• Analyze workloads and identify sensitivities to guide design choices.
• Correlate simulation and performance results to ensure accuracy of models.

Collaboration & Influence

• Partner with CPU design teams to integrate architectural innovations into real designs.
• Engage with ecosystem partners to understand future performance requirements and workload expectations.
• Present and communicate complex technical concepts clearly across diverse audiences.

Mentorship & Leadership

• Provide technical mentorship to less-experienced engineers in microarchitecture and performance analysis.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of team methodologies, tools, and workflows.

Required Skills And Qualifications

• Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or Computer Engineering.
• 15 years shown experience in CPU/system microarchitecture development, performance modeling, or microarchitectural workload analysis.
• Proven expertise in high-performance CPU microarchitecture.
• Deep understanding of performance, power, and area trade-offs.
• Hands-on experience with cycle-accurate simulators and performance modeling infrastructure.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to debug and reason across complex systems.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated track record of successful microarchitectural innovation from concept through implementation.
• Familiarity with advanced software engineering practices, performance profiling, and programming in multiple languages (C++, Python, etc.).
• Experience directly contacting customers or partners to gather requirements and present findings.
• Passion for continuous learning and driving improvements in methodology and tools.

In Return

You will apply your engineering skills to build support for technologies and influence millions of devices for years to come. You’ll share ideas with and learn new skills from some of the best engineers in the world!

Salary Range

$249,900-$338,100 per year

We value people as individuals and our dedication is to reward people competitively and equitably for the work they do and the skills and experience they bring to Arm. Salary is only one component of Arm's offering. The total reward package will be shared with candidates during the recruitment and selection process.

Our 10x Mindset

At Arm, we believe progress happens when people are empowered to think bigger and push beyond what seems possible. Our 10x mindset is about curiosity, ambition and creating impact that will be used by millions. We learn fast, prioritise collaboration and turn bold ideas into real technology. We look for people who are inspired by this way of working and want to grow in an environment where bold ideas are welcomed. Discover how the 10x mindset shapes life at Arm:

Hybrid Working

Arm’s approach to hybrid working is designed to create a working environment that supports both high performance and personal wellbeing. We believe in bringing people together face to face to enable us to work at pace, whilst recognizing the value of flexibility. Within that framework, we empower groups/teams to determine their own hybrid working patterns, depending on the work and the team’s needs. Details of what this means for each role will be shared upon application. In some cases, the flexibility we can offer is limited by local legal, regulatory, tax, or other considerations, and where this is the case, we will collaborate with you to find the best solution. Please talk to us to find out more about what this could look like for you.

Equal Opportunities

Arm is an equal opportunity employer, committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal opportunities are available to all applicants and colleagues. We are a diverse organization of dedicated and innovative individuals, and don’t discriminate on the basis of any characteristic.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.