Senior Software Engineer, Generative AI, Research

Google; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 174,000 - 252,000; Full time

Job summary

Google is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to design the next generation of AI accelerator instruction set architectures (ISAs) and to power frontier ML models at scale. You will architect instruction primitives and addressing modes tailored for model dynamics, including MLA, speculative decoding, and dynamic sparsity.

Collaborate across ML research, XLA compiler, and RTL teams to ensure new instructions are targetable and efficiently lowered.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 5 years of experience with software development in C++ and Python.
• Experience with functional/architectural simulators, emulator development, or compiler backends.
• Experience with computer architecture, instruction set architectures (ISAs), and hardware-software interaction.

Responsibilities

• Design custom instruction sets, addressing modes, and hardware features targeting frontier model operations.
• Deploy agentic orchestration and automated exploration pipelines to synthesize ISA configurations.
• Collaborate across ML research, XLA compiler, and RTL teams to ensure new instructions are targetable and efficient.
• Implement instruction-level simulators, golden reference models, and trace analyzers to measure performance.
• Provide rigorous, data-driven architecture proposals to guide multi-generational silicon roadmaps.

Skills

C++

Python

Architecture knowledge

Leadership (1y)

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience

Tools

Functional simulators

Emulator development

Compiler backends

Job description

In most instances, this position requires in-person interviews as part of the hiring process.

Minimum qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 5 years of experience with software development in C++ and Python.
• Experience with functional/architectural simulators, emulator development, or compiler backends.
• Experience with computer architecture, instruction set architectures (ISAs), and hardware-software interaction.

Preferred qualifications

• Master's degree or PhD in Computer Science or related technical field.
• 5 years of experience with data structures/algorithms.
• 1 year of experience in a technical leadership role.
• Experience developing accessible technologies.

About The Job

Google's software engineers develop the next-generation technologies that change how billions of users connect, explore, and interact with information and one another. Our products need to handle information at massive scale, and extend well beyond web search. We're looking for engineers who bring fresh ideas from all areas, including information retrieval, distributed computing, large-scale system design, networking and data storage, security, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, UI design and mobile; the list goes on and is growing every day. As a software engineer, you will work on a specific project critical to Google’s needs with opportunities to switch teams and projects as you and our fast-paced business grow and evolve. We need our engineers to be versatile, display leadership qualities and be enthusiastic to take on new problems across the full-stack as we continue to push technology forward.

As a Senior Software Engineer, you will design the next generation of AI accelerator instruction set architectures (ISAs) to power frontier ML models at scale. You will architect novel instruction primitives and addressing modes purpose-built for model dynamics—including MLA, speculative decoding, and dynamic sparsity. By pioneering AI-driven exploration pipelines, you will leverage LLMs and autonomous agents to explore vast architectural design spaces, prototype simulator features, and validate hardware-software trade-offs across compiler backends and RTL pipelines.

Google Research is building the next generation of intelligent systems for all Google products. To achieve this, we’re working on projects that utilize the latest computer science techniques developed by skilled software developers and research scientists. Google Research teams collaborate closely with other teams across Google, maintaining the flexibility and versatility required to adapt new projects and foci that meet the demands of the world's fast-paced business needs.

Individual pay is determined by factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

US: $174000 - $252000 (USD) + 15% bonus target + equity + benefits

Learn more about benefits at Google .

Responsibilities

• Design custom instruction sets, addressing modes, and hardware features targeting emerging frontier model operations (e.g., MLA, speculative verification, dynamic sparsity, multi-precision numerical formats).
• Deploy agentic orchestration and automated exploration pipelines to synthesize ISA configurations, generate test kernels, and discover architectural bottlenecks autonomously.
• Collaborate across ML research, XLA compiler, and RTL teams to ensure new instructions are seamlessly targetable, efficient to lower, and verify cleanly across simulation environments.
• Implement instruction-level simulators, golden reference models, and trace analyzers to measure performance, silicon area, and compiler efficiency.
• Provide rigorous, data-driven architecture proposals to guide multi-generational silicon roadmaps.

Google is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. See also Google's EEO Policy and EEO is the Law. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know by completing our Accommodations for Applicants form.