Principal Mixed-Signal Digital Architect (Digital Architect)

Lightmatter builds chips that enable extreme-scale artificial intelligence computing clusters. If you're a collaborative engineer or scientist with a passion for innovation, solving challenging technical problems, and doing impactful work like building the world's first optical computers, consider joining the team at Lightmatter!

We are hiring a Principal Mixed-Signal Digital Architect. The selected candidate will partner with external facing teams at Lightmatter and the internal engineering team to deliver groundbreaking products to the market. As an architect, you will provide detailed technical documents that describe what needs to be built to the engineering team. This will require a solid understanding of process technology, state of the art in chip design, and clear communication skills. You will represent the company externally at technical conferences as an example of our technical leadership.

We are seeking a motivated and dedicated hands-on Digital Architect to help develop chips for our next-generation communication architecture alongside a team of world-class scientists and engineers.

In this role, you will define the architecture of the digital circuits that enable a groundbreaking photonic-based communication fabric. Your work will not only enable the AMS/photonic devices at low-level but also the necessary interfaces with the firmware/software. You will interact directly with our vendors and customers. You will also define the product and technological roadmaps along with suitable design and verification methodologies.

You will report directly to the Chief Scientist and work closely with our digital, analog, photonic, and software teams. We are particularly looking for someone with expertise in architecting digital circuits to enable high-speed AMS circuits, with a strong preference for someone with experience in photonic circuits.

Join a tight-knit team where each individual’s contributions directly influence the company's and product's success. You'll have the opportunity to build a new kind of computer from the ground up and to solve groundbreaking challenges along the way. Work with people who love to build and who thrive in technically diverse environments where great ideas are prioritized.

Responsibilities

• Be the digital architecture owner of Lightmatter’s Passage product. Work closely with the rest of the architecture team, chip-design team, and the software team.

• Responsible for the digital architecture from initial concept through high-volume production. Work closely with the technical program manager(s) to plan, organize, and execute.

• Lead direct collaboration with top tier semiconductor customer(s) throughout the product development process at the system architecture level.

• Architect and specify system level digital designs integrating complex AMS and photonic circuits. These circuits include high-speed drivers and receivers, SerDes, ADC/DAC, photonic modulators and detectors.

• Collaborate with the product team to develop our future technological and product roadmap.

• Work closely with test and validation engineers to validate hardware against simulation prediction.

• Actively collaborate with the RTL and DV teams to enable block-level implementation and verification, respectively.

• Author, review, and validate architectural specifications. With the product and applications engineering teams, also produce customer-facing product datasheet and reference designs.

• Identify possible improvements as well as possible pitfalls (including mitigation strategies) around executing the proposed architectures.

Requirements

• 15 years of related experience with a Bachelors’ degree, or 12 years and a Masters’ degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering.

• In-depth knowledge of power-efficient digital design flow for high-speed AMS electronics, preferably on photonic communication channels.

• Proven track record of delivering successful high-volume silicon in the market.

• Proven understanding of silicon product development flow.

• In-depth knowledge of digital circuit design in a high-speed analog/photonic link, including device bringup, control, and digital signal processing.

• Demonstrated strong problem-solving skills, specifically pertaining to problems that do not have obvious solutions.

• Excellent customer and vendor communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Understanding of SerDes PCS layer and equalization along with forward error-correction schemes.

• Ability and desire to collaborate in a cross-disciplinary team.

• Power user of multiple development tools, including CAD tools, SPICE simulators, IBIS-AMI simulators, and general programming languages (e.g., MATLAB or Python).

Benefits

• Comprehensive Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)

• 401k matching

• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)

• Generous Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)

• Paid Family Leave

• Short Term & Long Term Disability

• Training & Development

• Flexible, hybrid workplace model

• Stock Option Plan

We offer competitive compensation. The base salary range for this role, including all US locations, is $225,00,000-$270,000. Your base salary will be determined based on location, experience, educational background, and market data.

Lightmatter recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law.