Staff-Power and Performance Validation Engineer Austin, Texas, United States

graphcore; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

401(k) retirement plan

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)

Job summary

Graphcore is looking for a Staff-Power and Performance Validation Engineer based in Austin, Texas. In this role, you will lead validation strategies and execution for advanced AI compute silicon, ensuring products meet efficiency and reliability standards.

Your technical expertise will support cross-functional collaborations, developing robust methodologies and automation frameworks. A competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package are offered, promoting health, wellbeing, and financial future.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in power and performance validation, silicon characterization, or system performance engineering.
• Deep understanding of CPU, memory, interconnect, and high-speed I/O technologies.
• Strong analytical skills with a focus on identifying system bottlenecks.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead validation strategies for AI compute silicon and platforms.
• Develop comprehensive validation plans covering functional, stress, workload, and corner-case scenarios.
• Drive validation of CPU, memory, and high-speed I/O subsystems under complex workload conditions.

Skills

Power and performance validation

Modern SoC architecture

Linux systems knowledge

Python programming for automation

Benchmarking and profiling tools

Hardware and software debugging

Analytical skills with large datasets

Collaboration and communication skills

Tools

C/C++ programming

Telemetry systems

Job description

Staff-Power and Performance Validation Engineer

Austin, Texas, United States

Job Summary

Reporting to senior leadership within Architecture and Validation, the Power and Performance Validation Lead will drive validation strategy and execution for advanced AI compute silicon and systems. The role is responsible for leading power, thermal and performance validation activities across pre‑silicon and post‑silicon environments to ensure products meet efficiency, reliability and scalability expectations.

This role requires strong technical expertise and collaboration across multiple engineering disciplines to deliver robust validation methodologies, scalable automation frameworks and actionable performance insights.

The Team

The Power and Performance Validation team sits within the Architecture and Validation organization and is responsible for validating the performance, efficiency and thermal behaviour of Graphcore silicon and systems.

The team supports the full product lifecycle, from early architectural modelling through to first silicon bring‑up, characterization and production readiness. Engineers work closely with cross‑functional teams globally to debug complex issues, optimize workloads and continuously improve validation infrastructure and methodologies.

Responsibilities and Duties

• Define and lead validation strategies for power, thermal and performance characterization of AI compute silicon and platforms
• Contribute to planning and execution of validation activities across multiple projects and milestones
• Develop comprehensive validation plans covering functional, stress, workload and corner‑case scenarios
• Lead post‑silicon bring‑up and characterization activities for power and performance validation
• Drive validation of CPU, memory, interconnect and high‑speed I/O subsystems under complex workload conditions
• Develop scalable automation frameworks, regression infrastructure and reporting tools using Python
• Design and execute benchmark workloads, parameter sweeps and performance experiments to identify optimization opportunities
• Collaborate with architecture, RTL, firmware, software and systems teams to debug and resolve complex technical issues
• Define validation metrics, pass/fail criteria and reporting methodologies to ensure repeatable and high‑quality analysis
• Guide development of custom workload generators and micro‑benchmarks where required
• Analyse power, thermal and performance data to identify bottlenecks and recommend improvements
• Contribute to continuous improvement of validation processes, tooling and engineering practices
• Communicate technical findings, project status, risks and recommendations clearly to stakeholders and engineering leadership
• Support knowledge sharing and contribute to continuous improvement across the validation organization

Candidate Profile

• Strong experience in power and performance validation, silicon characterization or system performance engineering
• Deep understanding of modern SoC architecture, including CPU, memory, interconnect and high‑speed I/O technologies
• Strong Linux systems knowledge and low‑level performance analysis experience
• Strong Python programming skills for automation, orchestration and data analysis
• Experience with benchmarking and profiling tools such as stress‑ng, fio, perf, iperf or equivalent technologies
• Experience debugging complex hardware and software interactions
• Ability to define structured validation methodologies, workload models and test strategies
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret large datasets and identify system bottlenecks
• Strong communication and cross‑functional collaboration skills
• Ability to work independently on complex technical tasks while collaborating effectively across teams
• Experience with AI accelerator, GPU or high‑performance compute architectures
• Experience with pre‑silicon modelling or simulation environments
• Knowledge of power management technologies and silicon characterization methodologies
• Programming experience in C/C++ for low‑level system or benchmark development
• Familiarity with hardware instrumentation and telemetry systems
• Experience working with high core‑count or large‑scale compute systems
• Experience contributing to shared validation infrastructure and engineering best practices

Benefits

In addition to a competitive salary, Graphcore offers flexible working and a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your health, wellbeing and financial future.

• Medical, dental and vision coverage
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)
• Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)
• Disability and life insurance
• 401(k) retirement plan
• Commuter benefits
• Wellness services
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

We welcome people of different backgrounds and experiences; we're committed to building an inclusive work environment that makes Graphcore a great home for everyone. We offer an equal opportunity process and understand that there are visible and invisible differences in all of us. We can provide a flexible approach to interview and encourage you to chat to us if you require any reasonable adjustments.

Equal Employment Opportunity

We do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.