Staff, CPU Architecture & Performance Research Engineer

Samsung Semiconductor

Quick summary

Work type
On-site
Location
San Jose, CA
Salary
$163,000–$253,000 / yr
Posted
today

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Competitive pay

How this pay compares to similar roles

Similar $208k
This role $208k
$140k most similar roles pay here $275k

This role pays less than 55% of similar roles. Most pay $180,000–$235,750 — the shaded band above. At the midpoint, this role pays about $208k versus about $208k for comparable roles.

Based on 240 similar postings.

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About Samsung Semiconductor

Samsung Semiconductor is the global semiconductor business unit of Samsung Electronics, designing and manufacturing memory chips, logic semiconductors, and foundry solutions for a broad range of applications.

Samsung Semiconductor currently has 54 open roles on FindRole.

Listed pay typically runs $163,000–$253,000 across 54 roles with salary data.

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At a glance

TL;DR · Staff, CPU Architecture & Performance Research Engineer

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The Staff CPU Architecture & Performance Research Engineer role at the Architecture Research Lab involves deep ownership of performance-critical micro-architectural domains for RISC-V cores, focusing on detailed analysis and optimization. This position requires building and validating architectural performance models, identifying bottlenecks through CPI/IPC breakdowns, and collaborating with architects, design, compiler, and system teams to enhance real-world workload performance. Candidates should have a Master’s or PhD in Computer Engineering or related fields, along with extensive experience in CPU microarchitecture and performance engineering, particularly with RISC-V, ARM, or X86 architectures. Strong programming skills in C/C++ and Python are essential, as is hands-on experience with architectural simulators like gem5. The role demands expertise in out-of-order execution, branch prediction, pipelines, speculation, cache coherence, memory systems, and NUMA effects, contributing to patents and publications.

Skills

RISC-V C/C++ Python gem5 ARM X86 Out-of-order execution Branch prediction Pipelines Speculation Cache coherence Memory systems Prefetching NUMA effects SIMD VME CI/CD

What you'll do

  • Own performance analysis for CPU microarchitectural domains like frontend and execution engine.
  • Build and validate architectural performance models and simulators for RISC-V cores.
  • Perform CPI/IPC breakdowns to root-cause performance bottlenecks in CPU designs.
  • Evaluate microarchitectural features using trace-driven, analytical, and cycle-accurate models.
  • Characterize workloads and benchmarks (SPEC, server, client, AI/ML) for performance analysis.

What we're looking for

  • Master’s degree in Computer Engineering, CS or related field with 8+ years of experience.
  • PhD in Computer Engineering, CS or related field with 5+ years of experience.
  • Extensive experience in CPU microarchitecture and performance engineering.
  • Proficiency with RISC-V, ARM, or X86 architectures.
  • Strong understanding of out-of-order execution, branch prediction, pipelines, speculation.
  • Hands-on experience with architectural simulators like gem5 and programming in C/C++, Python.
  • Expertise in workload characterization, CPI/IPC breakdowns, and performance data analysis.

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