Neurophos · 1 day ago
Sr. Principal Processor Architect
San Francisco
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
15+ years expNeurophos is revolutionizing AI computation with an optical computing platform and is seeking a highly experienced Sr. Principal Processor Architect. The role involves leading the design of processing cores for optical processing units, focusing on microarchitecture and performance optimization for AI inference workloads.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)Data CenterHardware
Responsibilities
Lead the architectural design of custom processor cores for Neurophos OPUs, balancing performance, power, and area constraints
Define microarchitectural features, including pipeline organization, execution units, vector/SIMD capabilities, and memory hierarchies
Design for massive-scale parallelism, drawing on GPU shader core and vector processor principles
Architect instruction sets, control flow mechanisms, branch prediction strategies, and exception handling
Evaluate and implement in-order vs. out-of-order execution, superscalar techniques, and multithreading approaches
Collaborate with optical engine designers to optimize the processor-accelerator interface
Work with modeling teams to validate architectural decisions through performance simulation
Drive co-design with compiler and runtime software teams to ensure efficient code generation
Publish research and represent Neurophos in the computer architecture community
Mentor junior architects and establish architectural best practices
Qualification
Required
PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field with focus on computer architecture (or MS with equivalent experience)
15+ years of experience in processor architecture and design
Deep expertise in pipelined processor design, including in-order and out-of-order (OoO) execution
Strong understanding of superscalar architectures, multithreading, and vector/SIMD machines
Extensive knowledge of branch prediction, speculation, exception handling, and architectural state management
Experience with massive parallelism architectures (GPU shader cores, vector processors, or similar)
Track record of shipping processor designs or significant architectural contributions
Strong publication record in computer architecture venues (ISCA, MICRO, ASPLOS, HPCA)
Excellent communication skills and ability to lead cross-functional technical discussions
Preferred
GPU shader core design experience or deep familiarity with GPU microarchitecture
Experience with domain-specific accelerators (TPU, NPU, DSP, or similar)
Knowledge of ML workload characteristics and accelerator design patterns
Familiarity with near-memory computing, in-memory computing, or optical computing paradigms
Experience with custom instruction set design and compiler co-design
Background in power-efficient microarchitecture techniques
Understanding of datacenter processor requirements and interconnect technologies
Experience with vector processor architectures (Cray, NEC SX, ARM SVE, RISC-V Vector)
Benefits
Competitive compensation, including salary and equity options.
Opportunities for career growth and future team leadership.
Access to cutting-edge technology and state-of-the-art facilities.
Opportunity to publish research and contribute to the field of efficient AI inference.
Company
Neurophos
Photonic ExaOPS AI chips
11-50 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Neurophos has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2023 (1)
Funding
Current Stage
Early StageTotal Funding
$16.1MKey Investors
Gates Frontier FundMetaVC Partners
2025-12-08Series Unknown· $1.9M
2023-12-14Seed· $7.2M
2023-10-03Seed· $7M
Leadership Team
Patrick T. Bowen
CEO
Andrew Traverso
Co-founder & Chief Scientist
Recent News
Trajectory Ventures
2026-01-21
2025-09-24
Company data provided by crunchbase