Principal Subsystem Hardware Architect

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

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, vision insurance

401K retirement plan

Unlimited flextime

Job summary

Ampere is seeking a Principal Subsystem Hardware Architect in Portland, OR to lead the definition of scalable SoC subsystem architecture. You will own reset, power management, interrupt, debug, and IP integration across hardware, firmware, and software teams to meet performance goals.

You will translate product requirements into robust subsystem specifications, drive cross-functional tradeoffs, and guide architecture discussions to enable successful product delivery with ARM familiarity and

Qualifications

• 6+ years of proven experience in Subsystem architecture and design, including HW architecture and/or RTL development.
• 3+ years of architecture or design expertise with any subsystems (Ex: CPU; Memory; Graphics/AI; HSIO/LSIO; Power-Management; Security, SoC level Interrupt Architecture).
• Solid understanding of subsystem construction and integration, including reset, clocking, power management, DFT, and debug considerations.
• Familiarity with LSIO interfaces and controllers (GPIO, I²C, SPI, UART, PWM)-and their system-level integration.
• Experience across the full IP lifecycle, from IP selection and integration through silicon validation, performance debug, and bring-up.
• Additional skills highly desired: Familiar with ARM Architecture; Power Management; Reset Architecture; Interrupts Architecture.

Responsibilities

• Drive subsystem construction including component definition and interactions, interrupt generation and integration with the rest of the SoC.
• Translate business-unit and product requirements into clear, actionable subsystem architecture specifications and implementation requirements.
• Partner with hardware, firmware, and software teams to develop cohesive, end-to-end subsystem solutions that address cross-functional dependencies and system-level use cases.
• Collaborate with platform architects, IP teams, and global SoC stakeholders to align architectural capabilities with product roadmaps and performance targets.
• Lead technical architecture discussions and data-driven tradeoff analyses to resolve complex subsystem integration challenges and enable successful product delivery.

Skills

Subsystem architecture

RTL development

IP lifecycle

Power management

Interrupts architecture

Education

BS in Electrical/Computer Engineering or CS (8 years)

MS in Electrical/Computer Engineering or CS (6 years)

PhD in related field (3 years)

Job description

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.

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.

As a Principal Subsystem Hardware Architect, you will lead the definition of scalable SoC subsystem architecture, with emphasis on overall SoC management including reset, power management, interrupt, debug and various IP integration. Working across business, platform, hardware, firmware, and software teams, you will translate product requirements into robust SoC- and IP-level specifications meeting subsystem feature and functionality along with power and performance goals.

What You'll Achieve

• Drive subsystem construction including component definition and interactions, interrupt generation and integration with the rest of the SoC.
• Translate business-unit and product requirements into clear, actionable subsystem architecture specifications and implementation requirements.
• Partner with hardware, firmware, and software teams to develop cohesive, end-to-end subsystem solutions that address cross-functional dependencies and system-level use cases.
• Collaborate with platform architects, IP teams, and global SoC stakeholders to align architectural capabilities with product roadmaps and performance targets.
• Lead technical architecture discussions and data-driven tradeoff analyses to resolve complex subsystem integration challenges and enable successful product delivery.

About You

• 6+ years of proven experience in Subsystem architecture and design, including HW architecture and/or RTL development.
• 3+ years of architecture or design expertise with any subsystems (Ex: CPU; Memory; Graphics/AI; HSIO/LSIO; Power-Management; Security, SoC level Interrupt Architecture).
• Solid understanding of subsystem construction and integration, including reset, clocking, power management, DFT, and debug considerations.
• Familiarity with LSIO interfaces and controllers (GPIO, I²C, SPI, UART, PWM)-and their system-level integration.
• Experience across the full IP lifecycle, from IP selection and integration through silicon validation, performance debug, and bring-up.
• Additional skills highly desired: Familiar with ARM Architecture; Power Management; Reset Architecture; Interrupts Architecture.

Education

• BS degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science & 8 years of related experience, MS degree & 6 years, or PhD & 3 years.

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.

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

Benefits Highlights Include

• Premium medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, as well as income protection and a 401K retirement plan, so that you can feel secure in your health and financial future.
• Unlimited Flextime and 10+ paid holidays so that you can embrace a healthy work-life balance.
• A variety of healthy snacks, energizing espresso, and refreshing drinks to keep you fueled and focused throughout the day.

And there are much more than compensation and benefits. At Ampere, we foster an inclusive culture that empowers our employees to do more and grow more. We are excited to share more about our career opportunities with you through the interview process.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.

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.