[Hiring] Staff Engineer - CPU & ISA Architecture @Axelera

Role Description

We’re seeking an experienced R&D engineer specialising in CPU architecture.

• Research, design, and evaluate CPU microarchitectural components (pipelines, fetch/decode, branch prediction, caches, memory hierarchy, OoO/rename/issue, interconnects, SIMD/vector/matrix units).
• Analyze and optimize PPA trade-offs for AI, HPC, and cloud workloads.
• Build and validate performance/functional models, run simulations, and correlate results to RTL to guide architectural decisions.
• Develop and evaluate architectural extensions within RISC-V; assess their performance, programmability, and toolchain compatibility.
• Propose, model, and prototype new mechanisms to improve efficiency, scalability, and performance.
• Work closely with hardware, compiler, and system teams to align roadmaps and enable new capabilities.
• Stay ahead of trends in CPU, memory, interconnect, and AI-adjacent architectures.

Qualifications

• MS/PhD in CE/EE/CS (or related field) with focus on CPU architecture or microarchitecture.
• Deep expertise in CPU design (pipelines, memory systems, coherence, SIMD/vector/matrix units), PPA optimisation, and ISA extensions (RISC-V, ARM, x86).
• Skilled in performance modeling and simulation (e.g., gem5, ChampSim, Sniper, QEMU), cycle-accurate and trace-driven analysis, and correlation to RTL.
• Experienced in benchmarking and workload characterisation (SPEC, MLPerf, or internal suites).
• Proficient in RTL design and validation (Verilog/SystemVerilog/Chisel), including simulation, synthesis, and FPGA/emulation bring-up.
• Knowledge of compiler/toolchain integration, low-level software (C/C++/assembly), Linux kernel/driver development, and performance tuning for ISA features.
• Strong analytical, collaborative, and communication skills with proven ability to drive architectural proposals from concept to validation.
• Fluent in English.
• Able to work from one of our European offices or remotely, preferably based in Bavaria (Munich), Belgium, or Italy.

Location

• Work from one of our Axelera AI offices (Leuven in Belgium, Amsterdam and Eindhoven in the Netherlands, Zurich in Switzerland, Florence and Milan in Italy or Bristol in the United Kingdom) if you're already based in the vicinity.
• Work fully remotely from any European country (incl. the UK) you are already in.
• Relocate with us and work from Italy (Florence or Milan), Belgium (Leuven) or the Netherlands (Amsterdam or Eindhoven).
• Priority will be given to candidates who are interested in being based in Bavaria (Munich), Belgium or Italy.

Benefits

• Attractive compensation package, including a pension plan.
• Extensive employee insurances and the option to get company shares.
• An open culture that supports creativity and continual innovation.
• Collaborative ownership and freedom with responsibility.