Director / Senior Principal AI SoC Validation

About the role

Graphcore is constructing an AI Engineering Campus in Bengaluru to pioneer next-generation system-on-chip technology, and this role is central to that ambition. The hire will own the end-to-end post-silicon validation strategy for complex AI SoCs, ensuring architectural correctness, system reliability, and production readiness. This leader will drive the bring-up of first silicon, directing investigations across silicon, firmware, operating systems, and platform interactions to resolve critical issues. They will establish and enforce validation methodologies that enable efficient, transparent, and scalable debugging across the project lifecycle. Close collaboration with design, software, and validation teams will be required to align on quality goals, technical priorities, and shared deliverables. The role involves mentoring engineers and promoting best practices that accelerate debug cycles and improve overall validation coverage. Executive leadership will rely on this position to provide clear status updates on validation progress, risks, and quality metrics. By leveraging emulation, automation, and prototyping, the hire will help compress timelines and increase confidence in the final product.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Create and execute the post-silicon validation strategy for AI SoCs to ensure architectural correctness and system reliability.
• Direct the investigation and resolution of technical problems involving silicon, firmware, operating systems, and platform interactions.
• Coordinate with design, software, and validation departments to align on quality goals and technical priorities.
• Implement automation, emulation, and prototyping tools to increase test coverage and accelerate debug cycles.
• Provide status updates on validation progress, risks, and quality metrics to executive leadership.
• Mentor team members and promote efficient, transparent validation methodologies.
• Define and maintain comprehensive test plans that cover architectural, functional, and performance validation scenarios.
• Oversee the deployment and management of large-scale validation infrastructure to support continuous testing.
• Partner with system software teams to develop and validate boot flow, power management, and coherency mechanisms.
• Track and resolve compliance and quality requirements to ensure the SoC meets internal and external standards.
• Drive the qualification and reliability testing necessary for high-volume manufacturing and deployment scenarios.
• Establish clear traceability between validation activities, architectural specifications, and observed behaviors.
• Collaborate with operations and platform teams to ensure smooth handoff and support beyond bring-up.
• Evaluate and adopt new validation tools and flows to maintain competitiveness and efficiency in the AI SoC lifecycle.

Requirements

• Bachelor degree in Electronic Engineering or equivalent; Master degree is preferred.
• 15 to 20 years of experience in silicon, system, or platform validation.
• 5 to 10 years of experience in a technical leadership capacity.
• Demonstrated success leading post-silicon validation and bring-up for complex AI, GPU, or CPU SoCs.
• Deep knowledge of SoC architecture, including interconnects, power management, and coherency protocols.
• Proficiency in C, C++, Python, and Linux environments.
• Expertise in DFT infrastructure and debug tools.
• Strong understanding of firmware interaction and platform-level integration.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• Experience with quality metrics, risk tracking, and executive communication.
• Solid judgment in debugging complex system-level issues under time constraints.
• Commitment to process improvement and methodological rigor in validation workflows.
• Willingness to work closely with cross-functional teams across hardware, software, and operations.
• Preparedness to adhere to Graphcore policies, security standards, and regulatory requirements.

Nice to have

• Experience working with large-scale validation clusters.

Skills & tools

• SoC architecture
• Post-silicon validation
• System debug
• C/C++
• Python
• Linux
• DFT infrastructure
• Emulation and prototyping
• Quality metrics and risk tracking
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Fast-paced environment

Practical notes

As a member of the SoftBank Group, Graphcore offers the chance to contribute to high-performance AI compute platforms. Applicants should be prepared to work in a fast-paced environment requiring cross-functional collaboration across hardware and software domains. The role is based in Bengaluru, India, and requires full-time on-site engagement. No specific travel or visa details are outlined in the source material, and no compensation information is provided.