Principal System Debug Engineer

Principal Embedded SW/FW Engineer (Bringup) - Austin, Tx, USA Job Summary We have an exciting opportunity to be part of a collaborative, cross-functional development team validating cutting-edge, high-performance AI chips and platforms.  You will play a key role in supporting new product introductions and post-silicon validation.   Working within the Post-Silicon Validation team, you will be involved with bringing first silicon to life, functionally validating it and working closely with many other teams to help it become a fully characterised and working product, reporting project status/progress to program management on a regular basis. You will have the opportunity to provide technical guidance to other engineering team members. In this role, you can leverage our experience and industry knowledge to architect and drive implementation of continuous improvements to test infrastructure and processes.   The Team The Post-Silicon Bringup team sits within the Architecture and Validation team, we are responsible for bringup and validation of new silicon when it returns from manufacture, enabling and supporting the production SW and FW teams to bring up their software and supporting the Silicon Characterisation team.   Responsibilities and Duties * Plan, design, develop and debug silicon validation tests in bare metal C/C++ on FPGA/Emulator prior to first silicon * Deploy silicon validation tests on first silicon and debugging them * Develop automated test framework and regression test suites in Python to optimize validation efficiency * Collaborate closely with engineers from many other disciplines on a variety of topics * Work with Validation and Production Test engineering peers to implement best practices and continuous improvements to test methodologies * Analyse test results, identify and debug failures/defects * Contribute to shared test and validation infrastructure * Provide feedback to architects   Candidate Profile  Essential: * Understanding of ML applications and their workloads * A self-starter who can apply independent judgement * A team player able to lead and support colleagues with difficult concepts * Strong experience in Bare metal / embedded C/C++ * Excellent problem-solving, analytical & diagnostic skills * Ability to work across teams and programming languages to find root causes of critical and complex issues * Experience of the post-silicon validation process applied in digital ASIC environments * Python, Linux * Excellent communication skills and the ability to explain difficult concepts to resolve issues    Desirable * 5 to 10 years’ experience  * Experience building and leading, multi-site teams * Driver level experience with one or more of the following is highly desirable: * PCIe * Ethernet * Memory technologies (LPDDR, DDR, HBM, …) * Other peripherals such as I2C, I3C, SPI, … * Good knowledge of mixed-signal building blocks such as PLLs, high speed PHYs and IC control/communication protocols is highly desirable. * Experience of Arm CPUs, System IP and debug tools. * Experience of AMBA protocols. * Experience in Characterization, Failure Analysis, Test Development, Statistical analysis,

ABOUT THE JOB Shape how advanced AI hardware is tested before it reaches customers. You'll lead the technical direction of manufacturing test solutions for Host Processor Modules, Server Blades, and multi-node rack systems. Your work will help ensure every system meets the highest quality standards before deployment. You'll own the architecture of the test executive software and develop manufacturing test content that validates complex hardware at scale. Working across hardware, firmware, and software teams, you'll enable reliable, efficient testing throughout production. This role offers broad technical influence. You'll solve complex engineering challenges, improve manufacturing quality through data, and help shape the future of Graphcore's production test capability. THE TEAM AND CULTURE You'll join the Product Test and Diagnosis team within Manufacturing Operations. The team defines and delivers test strategies across silicon, boards, server systems, and rack-scale platforms. Day to day, you'll work closely with engineers across hardware, firmware, software, manufacturing, and quality. Decisions are driven by technical evidence, collaboration, and continuous improvement. You'll have the freedom to lead technically, mentor other engineers, and influence how manufacturing test evolves across globally distributed teams. WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR ESSENTIAL * Extensive experience developing and deploying manufacturing test solutions for high-performance servers, accelerators (GPU-class), or comparable large-scale compute hardware.  * Proven technical leadership as an individual contributor, owning architecture and driving alignment across multiple teams without direct line management responsibility.  * Deep technical understanding across silicon, board, and system design sufficient to define effective manufacturing test coverage and lead complex debug/root-cause analysis.  * Strong cross-functional collaboration skills, with experience driving requirements and delivery with internal software/firmware/platform teams to enable testability and diagnosability.  * Hands-on experience using Linux, OpenBMC, and vendor-specific test tools, diagnostics, and system-level utilities to test hardware in lab and manufacturing environments.  * Strong software engineering skills with scripting and automation (e.g., Python, Bash, or similar), including building reliable test infrastructure and integrating heterogeneous test content.  DESIRABLE * Familiarity with rack-scale/multi-node systems, high-speed interconnects, and production qualification of complex assemblies.  * Experience improving manufacturing KPIs (yield, test time, false fail reduction) through data-driven test optimisation and robust statistical/diagnostic approaches.  * Knowledge of open-source tools commonly used for manufacturing test, system bring-up, and hardware diagnostics.  * Experience designing testability/diagnosability features into products (e.g., telemetry, self-test hooks, debug interfaces) in partnership with design teams.  BENEFITS * Unlimited annual leave * Up to 5% matched pension * Phantom equity – share in Graphcore’s success * True flexibility in how and where you work * Office spaces designed for collaboration * Free food and an on-site barista * Health cash plan * Income protection * Life assurance * Along with other benefits you can choose from (private medical insurance, dental plan etc) We welcome people from all backgrounds and experiences and are committed to building an inclusive environment where everyone can do their best work. We’re an equal opportunity employer and recognise that everyone brings different strengths and perspectives. If you need any adjustments during the interview process, just let us know. We're happy to support you. JOIN THE TEAM AT GRAPHCORE Graphcore is building the compute platform for the next generation of artificial intelligence. From advanced silicon to intelligent software, our technology is designed to unlock breakthroughs in AI and bring its benefits to every industry. As part of the SoftBank Group, we’re backed by one of the world’s most ambitious technology investors, working alongside companies shaping the future of AI. Together, we share a bold goal: to help enable artificial superintelligence and ensure it delivers meaningful impact at a global scale. At Graphcore, you’ll work with people who are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Our teams bring together AI researchers, chip designers, software engineers and systems experts from a wide range of backgrounds. It’s an environment where we take on big challenges with curiosity and focus, move quickly and decisively, take real ownership of our work, and speak up to challenge ideas, stepping up to support each other and lead through action. If you want to lead the engineering behind manufacturing test for advanced AI hardware and help deliver quality at scale, we'd love to hear from you. Apply now to join Graphcore.