Principal Hardware Architect Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Job Description: Your Work Shapes the World at Caterpillar Inc. When you join Caterpillar, you're joining a global team who cares not just about the work we do - but also about each other. We are the makers, problem solvers, and future world builders who are creating stronger, more sustainable communities. We don't just talk about progress and innovation here - we make it happen, with our customers, where we work and live. Together, we are building a better world, so we can all enjoy living in it. Help Build the Future of Caterpillar At Caterpillar, technology always has a purpose, which is to solve our customers’ toughest challenges. Through Cat Technology, we are solving problems by building the intelligence layer that connects machines, data, and people to make jobsites safer, more productive, and more sustainable. By combining deep domain expertise in physical systems with software, connectivity, autonomy, and AI, we deliver solutions that work in the real world-on real jobsites, at global scale. You’ll build and deploy against one of the most unique data foundations - over 1.6 million connected assets generating real-world data daily. These data and platform capabilities are enabling the development of AI models, edge computing architectures, and software systems that scale across fleets, products, and industries. The result will be a new generation of machines that continuously learn, improve, and deliver performance at scale.

Construction autonomy is one of the most complex challenges in applied AI, and at Caterpillar, advancements in physical AI, simulation, sensing, and edge computing are turning things that once felt impossible - intelligent machines operating in dynamic jobsites - into reality. Our connected ecosystem brings together massive volumes of high-quality data to create a foundation where engineers like you can build and deploy against. If this work motivates you, we invite you to join our team. In these roles, you’ll work at the intersection of the physical and digital worlds. You’ll help design and deliver intelligent systems that enable machines to perceive their environment, make informed decisions, and support safer, more productive operations.

Own the edge system hardware and interface architecture for the NVIDIA Thor-based machine autonomy platform. This role focuses on understanding and defining the capabilities, limitations, and integration requirements of the Thor compute platform, host or breakout input/output boards, hardware resources, sensor interfaces, network interfaces, storage, memory, CPU, GPU, machine-facing connectivity, and platform expansion capabilities. This architect ensures the edge system has the right hardware configuration, interface capacity, bandwidth, connectivity, and expansion path to support perception, robotics, machine interface, data logging and transmission, diagnostics, and safety-related autonomy services.

• Define the edge system hardware architecture for the NVIDIA Thor-based platform, including compute module, host or breakout input/output boards, hardware resources, interface capacity, and machine integration requirements.
• Own the architecture definition for edge platform interfaces, including Ethernet, GMSL, CAN, USB, UART, PCIe, I2C, storage, power, synchronization, and other machine or sensor connectivity needs.
• Assess system capabilities and constraints across CPU, GPU, memory, storage, network bandwidth, sensor bandwidth, input/output capacity, power, thermal limits, physical packaging, and expansion options.
• Collaborate with internal functional teams and supplier teams to identify hardware gaps, input/output limitations, bandwidth constraints, integration risks, and recommend expansion, upgrade, or platform improvement strategies.

• Analytical Thinking: Expert Knowledge of techniques and tools that promote effective analysis; ability to determine the root cause of organizational problems and create alternative solutions that resolve these problems.
• Platform Architecture: Expert knowledge of technologies and methods to design processing mechanisms and roadmaps to execute business application systems; ability to design these roadmaps and deploy supportive interfaces for end-users to access related systems, in accordance with standards and processes.
• Data Architecture: Expert knowledge of processes, techniques and factors that affect data architecture; ability to design blueprints on how to integrate data resources for business processes and functional support.
• Effective Communications: Expert understanding effective communication concepts, tools and techniques; ability to effectively transmit, receive, and accurately interpret ideas, information, and needs through the application of appropriate communication behaviors.
• Organizational Leadership: Expert knowledge of leadership concepts and ability to use strategies and skills to enlist others in setting, embracing and achieving objectives.

• Strong experience with edge hardware platforms, embedded systems, or vehicle compute platforms.
• Experience with NVIDIA Jetson/Thor hardware and ecosystem is a strong plus.
• Deep understanding of CPU, GPU, memory, storage, input/output interfaces, network bandwidth, sensor bandwidth, power, thermal, packaging, and hardware expansion tradeoffs.
• Experience with sensor and machine interfaces such as Ethernet, GMSL, CAN, USB, PCIe, UART, I2C, synchronization, power, and storage connectivity.
• Strong ability to work with internal engineering teams and suppliers to assess hardware capability gaps, interface limitations, and recommend practical expansion or upgrade strategies.

This position requires the candidate to work full-time at the Irving, TX office (Dallas) Domestic relocation assistance is available for this position. Visa sponsorship is available for this position This position will require up to 25% domestic travel

Summary Pay Range: $147,760.00 - $240,110.00

Benefits: Subject to plan eligibility, terms, and guidelines. This is a summary list of benefits.

• Medical, dental, and vision benefits
• Paid time off plan (Vacation, Holidays, Volunteer, etc.)
• 401(k) savings plans
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)
• Health Lifestyle Programs
• Employee Assistance Program
• Voluntary Benefits and Employee Discounts
• Career Development
• Incentive bonus
• Disability benefits Life Insurance
• Parental leave Adoption benefits Tuition Reimbursement

* These benefits also apply to part-time employees This position requires working onsite five days a week. Relocation is available for this position. Visa sponsorship is available for eligible applicants.

Posting Dates: Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of a drug screen. Caterpillar is an Equal Opportunity Employer, Including Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities. Qualified applicants of any age are encouraged to apply.

There’s more to work at Caterpillar than just the work itself. We hire smart, friendly people and it shows in our culture. We hold ourselves to high standards and make sure our values of integrity, excellence, teamwork, commitment and sustainability come to life in the way we work. We make sure our employees feel continuously challenged while also supported. We provide professional growth opportunities, including leadership programs. We celebrate the diversity of our team, while also working together as one Caterpillar. Our culture, like everything at our company, is made possible by each employee’s contribution. Person by person, we create the environment we work in, and we are proud of the Caterpillar we’ve built.