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Principal Hardware Architect Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Astera Labs

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The AI Platform Solutions Group is seeking a Senior Principal Hardware / System Architect to lead the architecture, design, and development of next-generation x86 and accelerator-based server ...

Bolt Graphics

Lead Hardware System Architect

Sunnyvale, CA · On-site

$200K - $250K/yr

As the Lead Hardware System Architect, you will own the end-to-end hardware development lifecycle for our next-generation graphics compute platforms, high-performance GPU servers, and ultra-high ...

CesiumAstro

Principal Hardware Engineer I

Austin, TX · On-site

At the Principal level, you will be tasked with full-stack hardware development for complex modules ... Develop hardware architecture and write hardware requirements for systems of high complexity.

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Principal Hardware Architect information

What does a Principal Hardware Architect do?

A Principal Hardware Architect is responsible for designing and overseeing the development of complex hardware systems and components, such as CPUs, GPUs, or entire electronic devices. They lead the architectural planning, set technical direction, and ensure that hardware solutions meet performance, cost, and scalability goals. This role often involves collaborating with engineers, software teams, and other stakeholders to define system requirements and solve technical challenges. Principal Hardware Architects also play a key role in making high-level design decisions and mentoring junior engineers.

What are some typical challenges Principal Hardware Architects face when leading cross-functional hardware development teams?

Principal Hardware Architects often navigate the complexities of aligning diverse technical disciplines, such as electrical engineering, firmware, and mechanical design, toward a unified product vision. A common challenge is ensuring effective communication and collaboration among teams with differing priorities and technical languages. Additionally, they must balance long-term architectural goals with short-term project deadlines, all while managing trade-offs between performance, cost, and manufacturability. Successfully addressing these challenges requires strong leadership, negotiation skills, and a deep technical understanding across multiple domains.

What is the difference between Principal Hardware Architect vs Hardware Design Engineer?

AspectPrincipal Hardware ArchitectHardware Design Engineer
Required CredentialsBachelor's or Master's in Electrical Engineering, extensive experienceBachelor's or Master's in Electrical Engineering or related field
Work EnvironmentLeadership roles, strategic planning, cross-team collaborationDesign, development, testing of hardware components
Employer & Industry UsageTech companies, hardware manufacturers, R&D divisionsElectronics companies, OEMs, hardware startups

The Principal Hardware Architect focuses on high-level hardware system design, architecture, and strategic planning, often leading teams and making critical technical decisions. In contrast, the Hardware Design Engineer concentrates on the detailed design, development, and testing of specific hardware components. Both roles require strong technical skills, but the architect role emphasizes leadership and system-level thinking, while the engineer role is more hands-on with hardware development.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Principal Hardware Architect, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Principal Hardware Architect, you need advanced expertise in hardware design, system architecture, and electronic engineering, typically backed by a relevant degree and extensive industry experience. Proficiency with hardware description languages (such as VHDL or Verilog), EDA tools, and familiarity with industry standards is essential, along with certifications like Professional Engineer (PE) being advantageous. Strong leadership, problem-solving, and communication skills help you guide teams and articulate complex technical concepts to stakeholders. These skills ensure innovative, reliable hardware solutions are developed efficiently and aligned with organizational goals.
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Principal Hardware Architect jobs near you
Senior Principal Hardware System Architect

Senior Principal Hardware System Architect

Astera Labs

Remote

Full-time

Posted 26 days ago

Job description

Astera Labs (NASDAQ: ALAB) provides rack-scale AI infrastructure through purpose-built connectivity solutions. By collaborating with hyperscalers and ecosystem partners, Astera Labs enables organizations to unlock the full potential of modern AI. Astera Labs' Intelligent Connectivity Platform integrates CXL®, Ethernet, NVLink, PCIe®, and UALink™ semiconductor-based technologies with the company's COSMOS software suite to unify diverse components into cohesive, flexible systems that deliver end-to-end scale-up, and scale-out connectivity. The company's custom connectivity solutions business complements its standards-based portfolio, enabling customers to deploy tailored architectures to meet their unique infrastructure requirements. Discover more at www.asteralabs.com.
Role Overview
The AI infrastructure landscape is evolving at breakneck speed, and Astera Labs is at the center of it - delivering the intelligent connectivity solutions that enable the most demanding AI and cloud workloads on the planet. As server platforms grow increasingly complex with multi-socket architectures, accelerator-dense configurations, and high-speed interconnect fabrics, the need for world-class hardware architects who can define and deliver these systems end-to-end has never been more critical.
The AI Platform Solutions Group is seeking a Senior Principal Hardware / System Architect to lead the architecture, design, and development of next-generation x86 and accelerator-based server platforms. You will own system-level architecture decisions spanning compute, memory, storage, and interconnect subsystems - driving hardware platform development from concept through bring-up and validation. This role sits at the intersection of silicon, board design, FPGA/ASIC development, and platform integration, with direct impact on how AI infrastructure scales at the rack and cluster level.
This is a high-impact technical leadership role where you will partner across hardware, firmware, and platform engineering teams while collaborating with customers, silicon vendors, and hyperscalers to deliver custom, high-performance compute solutions. If you thrive on solving the hardest hardware architecture challenges and want to shape the platforms that power the next wave of AI, this is the opportunity.
Key Responsibilities
  • System Architecture & Platform Design
    • Lead end-to-end system architecture and design for server platforms including x86 multi-socket and accelerator-based systems
    • Define and maintain multi-platform design standards and architectures that scale across product lines
    • Drive hardware platform development including board design, system bring-up, and validation
    • Oversee system-level integration across compute, storage, and interconnect subsystems - including PCIe Gen5/6 and high-speed fabric connectivity
  • FPGA & Hardware Development Leadership
    • Lead FPGA architecture and development including simulation, synthesis, validation, and common framework definition
    • Drive signal integrity analysis, functional validation, and defect resolution across complex hardware systems
    • Own hardware debug and bring-up in lab environments, ensuring seamless integration with firmware and software stacks
  • Cross-Functional & Customer Engagement
    • Provide technical leadership and mentorship to distributed engineering teams across hardware, firmware, and platform disciplines
    • Coordinate cross-functional activities to ensure alignment between hardware design, firmware integration, and system validation
    • Collaborate with customers and stakeholders on custom system solutions, technical briefings, and field issue resolution
    • Partner with silicon vendors, OEMs, and hyperscalers to drive platform innovation aligned with Astera Labs' connectivity ecosystem

Basic Qualifications
  • Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field
  • 12+ years of experience in hardware development or system architecture
  • Deep expertise in x86 server architecture, including multi-processor systems
  • Experience with FPGA and/or ASIC design including simulation, synthesis, and validation
  • Strong knowledge of high-speed interconnects (PCIe, UPI/QPI, Ethernet) and signal integrity principles
  • Proven experience with system bring-up, debug, and validation in lab environments
  • Experience leading complex hardware programs and cross-functional engineering teams
  • Strong knowledge of memory subsystems, cache coherency, and PCB design

Preferred Qualifications
  • Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science
  • Experience with accelerator-based systems (GPU, AI/ML workloads) or AI training cluster hardware
  • Familiarity with heterogeneous computing architectures or composable infrastructure
  • Experience with EDA tools such as Cadence, Allegro, Quartus, or Xilinx environments
  • Programming experience in C, Python, or scripting languages for hardware automation and validation
  • Background in enterprise server, data center hardware, or custom system development
  • Experience working with global development teams and customer-facing engineering engagements
  • Knowledge of fault-tolerant design or secure communication systems

We know that creativity and innovation happen more often when teams include diverse ideas, backgrounds, and experiences, and we actively encourage everyone with relevant experience to apply, including people of color, LGBTQ+ and non-binary people, veterans, parents, and individuals with disabilities.

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