GPU HW Research Engineer (San Diego/Boxborough)

Qualcomm; Boxborough (MA); On-site; USD 161,800 - 242,600; Full time

Job summary

Qualcomm is seeking innovative GPU architects in Boxborough, Massachusetts, to design cutting-edge GPU architectures. You will advance AI and ML capabilities across diverse platforms like mobile and data center GPUs.

The ideal candidate has robust experience in GPU technology, familiarity with programming models, and a strong educational background in engineering. The role offers a competitive salary, ranging from $161,800 to $242,600.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree plus 4+ years of relevant experience.
• Master’s degree plus 3+ years of relevant experience.
• PhD plus 2+ years of relevant experience.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate on GPU architectures for AI and ML workloads.
• Develop architectural solutions for diverse GPU platforms.
• Work with teams to deliver advanced GPU solutions.
• Participate in open-source projects related to GPGPU.

Skills

Understanding of GPU architectures

Proficiency with OpenCL, CUDA, Vulkan

Programming skills in C/C++

Familiarity with Python

Education

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

Master’s degree in relevant field

PhD in relevant field

Tools

APIs such as OpenCL, CUDA, Vulkan

Hardware simulation/emulation tools

Job description

Company

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Job Area

Engineering Group > GPU ASICS Engineering

General Summary

Qualcomm’s GPU Research Team is seeking innovative GPU architects to advance state‑of‑the‑art capabilities in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and General‑Purpose GPU (GPGPU) computing. This is a unique opportunity to design next‑generation GPU architectures that power everything from mobile devices to Windows on Snapdragon (WoS) compute platforms and large‑scale data center GPUs.

What You’ll Do

• Collaborate with other GPU architects to design new hardware features and enhance existing GPU architectures for accelerating GPGPU, ML, and AI workloads.
• Develop architectural solutions for diverse platforms, including mobile, WoS, and data center GPUs.
• Work closely with software teams, hardware design teams, standardization bodies, and internal/external partners to deliver cutting‑edge solutions.
• Participate in open‑source GPGPU/ML/AI projects and contribute to industry‑leading initiatives.
• Influence the evolution of GPU capabilities for advanced use cases such as large language models (LLMs) and large vision models (LVMs).

Required Skills

• Strong understanding of GPU architectures, programming models, and application domains.
• Proficiency with APIs such as OpenCL, CUDA, Vulkan, or Direct3D 12.
• Experience with hardware design flow and basic knowledge of Verilog (or VHDL).
• Exposure to hardware simulation/emulation tools and waveform analysis.
• Basic understanding of GPU memory and cache design hierarchy.
• Solid programming skills in C/C++.
• Familiarity with Python is a strong plus.

Preferred Skills

• Hands‑on experience in development, debugging, and optimization of CUDA and OpenCL kernels, as well as GPU compute shaders.
• Deep understanding of quantization techniques and data types for large language models (LLMs) and large vision models (LVMs).
• Experience designing GPU hardware features for ML/AI acceleration.
• Experience with open‑source projects such as llama.cpp, vLLM, or similar frameworks is a big plus.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field and 4+ years of Software Engineering, Hardware Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.
• Master’s degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field and 3+ years of Software Engineering, Hardware Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.
• PhD in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field and 2+ years of Software Engineering, Hardware Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.

Pay Range

$161,800.00 - $242,600.00

EEO Statement

Qualcomm is an equal opportunity employer. If you are an individual with a disability and need an accommodation during the application/hiring process, Qualcomm is committed to providing an accessible process. Qualcomm is also committed to making our workplace accessible for individuals with disabilities. Qualcomm is an equal opportunity employer; all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or any other protected classification.