Senior Principal Platform Architect

Renesas; California (MO); On-site; USD 180,000 - 320,000; Full time

Job summary

Renesas seeks a Senior Principal Platform Architect to own the system-level architecture for next-generation AI-scale switch platforms. You will define cross-domain hardware, software, and management interfaces, spanning backplanes, power and thermal orchestration, and firmware provisioning.

The role requires deep expertise in platform fabrics, management standards, and OS/kernel interfaces, with a track record delivering large-scale, energy-efficient data-center systems.

Qualifications

• Master's or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
• 20+ years of architectural experience in high-performance server platforms, hyper-scale network switches, or data center infrastructure.

Responsibilities

• Define end-to-end hardware, software, and management architecture for AI scale-up network chassis.
• Architect platform management stack (BMC/OpenBMC) and secure firmware update flows.
• Lead system-level optimization of backplanes, SerDes, power delivery, and cooling in multi-node systems.

Skills

System-Level Interconnects

Platform Management Standards

Hardware-Software Interface

Data Center Infrastructure

Education

Master's or Ph.D. in Electrical/Computer Engineering or Computer Science

Job description

Senior Principal Platform Architect

Job Description

As the Senior Principal Platform Architect for UALink Switch Products, you will be the ultimate system-level authority responsible for defining the end-to-end hardware, software, and management architecture of our next-generation AI scale-up network chassis.

In this role, you will look beyond the individual switch silicon to architect the entire platform ecosystem. You will define how multiple UALink switch ASICs interact across backplanes, determine how the system handles multi-kilowatt power delivery and liquid/air cooling orchestration, and architect the platform management stack (BMC/OpenBMC) that allows the switch to seamlessly integrate into massive hyper-scale data centers. You will bridge the gap between silicon engineering, system hardware design, and cloud software orchestration.

System & Topology Architecture

• Chassis & Rack Definition: Lead the structural, electrical, and logical design of the UALink switch chassis, defining high-speed backplane topologies, cabled scale-up fabrics, and multi-tier switch hierarchies.
• Signal & Power Integrity Collaboration: Partner with electrical and SI/PI engineering teams to define parameters for ultra-high-speed SerDes routing across PCBs, flyover cables, and optical components, minimizing bit error rates (BER).
• Scale-Up Fabric Optimization: Architect rack-level and row-level topologies that optimize collective communication paths (e.g., All-Reduce, All-to-All) for tens of thousands of interconnected GPUs.

Platform Management & Software Infrastructure

• Control Plane & BMC Architecture: Architect the end-to-end system management plane. Define how Baseboard Management Controllers (BMCs) monitor, configure, and provision the switch using OpenBMC, Redfish, and PLDM over MCTP.
• Boot & Initialization Flows: Establish platform-level boot sequencing, multi-rail power sequencing, and secure multi-node firmware update orchestration.
• Platform Security Architecture: Define the hardware security lifecycle, including Platform Firmware Resiliency (NIST SP 800-193), secure enclave integration, and Component Attestation (SPDM).

Advanced RAS & Infrastructure Integration

• Platform-Level RAS: Architect system-level Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability (RAS) strategies. Define how the platform isolates hardware faults, routes around failed links, handles hot-swapping of fans, power supplies, and switch blades without dropping the AI training cluster.
• Thermal & Power Orchestration: Establish dynamic power management and telemetry frameworks to balance the massive transient power draws of next-generation AI workloads against rack-level cooling limits.

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Degree: Master's or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Experience: 20+ years of architectural experience in high-performance server platforms, hyper-scale network switches, or data center infrastructure.

Technical Skill Set

• System-Level Interconnects: Expert knowledge of high-speed platform fabrics and standards (UALink, NVLink, OAM/UBB, PCIe Gen6/Gen7, CXL, or Ultra Ethernet).
• Platform Management Standards: Deep expertise in industry-standard management architectures, including Redfish, IPMI, MCTP, SPDM, and OpenBMC.
• Hardware-Software Interface: Thorough understanding of OS/VMM kernels, device drivers, and platform initialization frameworks (UEFI, ACPI).
• Data Center Infrastructure: Comprehensive grasp of modern rack architectures (e.g., OCP ORv3), liquid cooling management, and high-density 48V/54V power delivery.

Preferred Attributes (Ways to Stand Out)

• Proven track record of delivering a high-volume, multi-million-gate switching or compute platform successfully into top-tier hyper-scale cloud providers (AWS, Azure, GCP, Meta).
• Active committee leadership or direct specification contributions within the UALink Consortium, Ultra Ethernet Consortium (UEC), or Open Compute Project (OCP).
• Experience architecting systems designed for ultra-high-density accelerator form factors such as Nvidia Blackwell/Vera Rubin grids or AMD Instinct platforms.

Company Description

Renesas is one of the top global semiconductor companies in the world. We strive to develop a safer, healthier, greener, and smarter world, and our goal is to make every endpoint intelligent by offering product solutions in the automotive, industrial, infrastructure and IoT markets. Our robust product portfolio includes world leading MCUs, SoCs, Analog and power products, plus Winning Combination solutions that curate these complementary products. We are a key supplier to the world's leading manufacturers of electronics you rely on every day; you may not see our products, but they are all around you.

Renesas employs roughly 21,000 people in more than 30 countries worldwide. As a global team, our employees actively embody the