Hardware Engineer

Work Setting:
In-office

Work Location:

Hillsboro, Oregon, United States

Work Hours:

Office hours

Find out more here:

We are seeking an experienced Hardware Engineer
, Design expert
, or Architect to join our team in Hillsboro, OR specializing in technical analysis of AI and datacenter hardware. This role involves analyzing product architecture, design, and manufacturing processes and being an active contributor in the planning, tools, and processes required to acquire this information. This role requires a mix of technical expertise, design sensibility, and autonomy. You’ll need to work independently, collaborate across our globally distributed team, to examine and report on the design choices, optimizations, and trade-offs in competing hardware, translating physical analysis into actionable insights.

The role rewards curiosity. The strongest people in this work are drawn to investigation — taking apart what they could have helped design, connecting physical evidence to architectural intent and roadmap signals, and following threads beyond any single prior role.

• Conduct detailed architectural analysis of AI and datacenter hardware — GPUs, ASICs, CPUs, custom accelerators, high-speed I/O, memory subsystems, and their packaging
• Drive end-to-end teardown and characterization; operate the analytical toolchain and direct more specialized work as needed
• Identify competitive advantages, disadvantages, and generational changes in hardware design, packaging, and system-level decisions
• Apply Design Technology Co-Optimization (DTCO) and System Technology Co-Optimization (STCO) reasoning to interpret architectural trade-offs and process-design interactions
• Co-author technical research published by Semi Analysis — physical observation, cross-industry context, and argument all in your words
• Contribute to the growth and expansion of the lab's capabilities and output; bring your unique skills to a strong and expansive team

• Hiring at all experience levels.
• 2+ years in hardware architecture, product design, silicon engineering, post-silicon debug, or closely equivalent, with genuine exposure to leading-edge parts.
• Strong functional knowledge of AI and datacenter hardware architecture (GPUs, CPUs, accelerators) on advanced process nodes
• Direct experience in physical or electrical failure analysis, fault isolation, device debug, or related physical root-cause work
• Understanding of Design Technology Co-Optimization (DTCO) principles
• Hands-on experience with, or strong aptitude for working with experts in, semiconductor sample preparation and analytical tools — precision prep, FIB, SEM, TEM, X-ray, and compositional methods.

• Product design or manufacturing R&D in advanced packaging (2.5D / 3D, high-speed interconnects, hybrid bonding)
• Broad understanding of advanced manufacturing across CMOS logic, memory, and emerging technologies
• Interpreting micrographs and electrical measurements to infer design and process characteristics
• Comfort developing plans for physical and electrical FA tool chains
• Python for data analysis and engineering tasks
• Strong professional network of experts
• Statistical and process-control literacy

• Architectural fluency — CPU / GPU / ASIC floor planning, memory hierarchy, and advanced I/O are native language for you
• Cross-industry context — you place any architectural choice against vendor and competitor history without reaching for a reference
• Physical intuition, or willingness to build it fast — you know what is real and what is artifact
• Written argument — your technical writing holds up under expert scrutiny
• Curiosity and ownership — you're drawn to investigate; you ship and close your own loops
• Agency — you…