Senior Director, Architecture Research Lab

Senior Director, Architecture Research Lab

San Jose, California, United States

Advancing the World's Technology Together

Our technology solutions power the tools you use every day--including smartphones, electric vehicles, hyperscale data centers, IoT devices, and so much more. Here, you'll have an opportunity to be part of a global leader whose innovative designs are pushing the boundaries of what's possible and powering the future.

We believe innovation and growth are driven by an inclusive culture and a diverse workforce. We're dedicated to empowering people to be their true selves. Together, we're building a better tomorrow for our employees, customers, partners, and communities.

AI System Architecture Leadership

• Define system-level architectures that solve memory-capacity, bandwidth, and interconnect challenges for large AI workloads (e.g., large language models, recommendation systems).
• Build and maintain analytical and event-driven simulation frameworks for compute-memory-network performance at rack scale.
• Conduct design-space exploration and quantitative trade-off studies (performance, power, cost) to guide architecture decisions.
• Partner with SAIT HQ teams to align modeling insights with real-world AI system implementations.

RISC-V CPU Architecture Leadership

• Architect high-performance, out-of-order RISC-V CPU cores that serve as host processors for AI computing systems.
• Drive IPC-focused feature path-finding; lead micro-architecture research through performance-model simulation and workload analysis.
• Produce detailed micro-architecture specifications and guide cache/memory hierarchy design for optimal AI workload execution.

Research & Innovation Management

• Lead a multidisciplinary research team, set technical roadmaps, and ensure delivery of high-impact publications.
• Present architectural insights and strategic recommendations to senior leadership and external partners.

What You Bring

• Education: Ph.D. in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience: 10+ years in system-level architecture research or large-scale computing platform design, with a strong focus on AI workloads.
• Technical Expertise:
• Performance modeling, event-driven simulation, and quantitative analysis of compute-memory-interconnect systems.
• Deep knowledge of modern CPU/accelerator architectures (RISC-V, ARM, x86) and heterogeneous integration.
• Proven ability to design rack-scale AI system architectures that address memory, bandwidth, and interconnect constraints.
• Proficiency with transaction-level modeling (TLM) and event-driven simulation for compute-memory-network co-design.
• Experience in large-scale design-space exploration and PPA (performance, power, area/cost) trade-off analysis.
• Expertise in architecture and micro-architecture design of out-of-order CPUs.
• Hands-on experience with simulation tools and programming languages such as Python and C++.
• Communication Skills: Excellent written and verbal communication; proven ability to deliver technical presentations to senior stakeholders.

Preferred Experience

• Proven track record of publishing high-impact research papers.
• Experience influencing product roadmaps through architectural recommendations.
• Strong collaborative history with cross-functional teams (hardware, software, memory technology).
• You're inclusive, adapting your style to the situation and diverse global norms of our people.
• An avid learner, you approach challenges with curiosity and resilience, seeking data to help build understanding.
• You're collaborative, building relationships, humbly offering support and openly welcoming approaches.
• Innovative and creative, you proactively explore new ideas and adapt quickly to change

Base Pay Range

$246,000 - $430,000 USD

Equal Opportunity Employment Policy

Samsung Semiconductor takes pride in being an equal opportunity workplace dedicated to fostering an environment where all individuals feel valued and empowered to excel, regardless of race, religion, color, age, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, ancestry, genetic information, marital status, national origin, political affiliation, or veteran status.

Our Commitment to Innovation and Fairness

At Samsung Semiconductor, we use Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in the recruitment process to enhance efficiency. However, AI is used as a support tool, not a final decision-maker. All hiring decisions are made by our human recruiting team and hiring managers to ensure every candidate is evaluated fairly and holistically.