Staff-Power and Performance Validation Engineer

The Power and Performance Validation team sits within the Architecture and Validation organisation and is responsible for validating the performance, efficiency and thermal behaviour of Graphcore silicon and systems.

The team supports the full product lifecycle, from early architectural modelling through to first silicon bring-up, characterization and production readiness. Engineers work closely with cross-functional teams globally to debug complex issues, optimize workloads and continuously improve validation infrastructure and methodologies.

Define and lead validation strategies for power, thermal and performance characterization of AI compute silicon and platforms

Contribute to planning and execution of validation activities across multiple projects and milestones

Develop comprehensive validation plans covering functional, stress, workload and corner-case scenarios

Lead post-silicon bring-up and characterization activities for power and performance validation

Drive validation of CPU, memory, interconnect and high-speed I/O subsystems under complex workload conditions

Develop scalable automation frameworks, regression infrastructure and reporting tools using Python

Design and execute benchmark workloads, parameter sweeps and performance experiments to identify optimization opportunities

Collaborate with architecture, RTL, firmware, software and systems teams to debug and resolve complex technical issues

Define validation metrics, pass/fail criteria and reporting methodologies to ensure repeatable and high-quality analysis

Guide development of custom workload generators and micro-benchmarks where required

Analyse power, thermal and performance data to identify bottlenecks and recommend improvements

Contribute to continuous improvement of validation processes, tooling and engineering practices

Communicate technical findings, project status, risks and recommendations clearly to stakeholders and engineering leadership

Support knowledge sharing and contribute to continuous improvement across the validation organisation

Strong experience in power and performance validation, silicon characterization or system performance engineering

Deep understanding of modern SoC architecture, including CPU, memory, interconnect and high-speed I/O technologies

Strong Linux systems knowledge and low-level performance analysis experience

Strong Python programming skills for automation, orchestration and data analysis

Experience with benchmarking and profiling tools such as stress-ng, fio, perf, iperf or equivalent technologies

Experience debugging complex hardware and software interactions

Ability to define structured validation methodologies, workload models and test strategies

Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret large datasets and identify system bottlenecks

Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills

Ability to work independently on complex technical tasks while collaborating effectively across teams

Experience with AI accelerator, GPU or high-performance compute architectures

Experience with pre-silicon modelling or simulation environments

Knowledge of power management technologies and silicon characterization methodologies

Programming experience in C/C++ for low-level system or benchmark development

Familiarity with hardware instrumentation and telemetry systems

Experience working with high core-count or large-scale compute systems

Experience contributing to shared validation infrastructure and engineering best practices

USA Benefits In addition to a competitive salary, Graphcore offers flexible working and a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your health, wellbeing and financial future. Our benefits include medical, dental and vision coverage, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), disability and life insurance, a 401(k) retirement plan, commuter benefits, wellness services and an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). We welcome people of different backgrounds and experiences; we're committed to building an inclusive work environment that makes Graphcore a great home for everyone. We offer an equal opportunity process and understand that there are visible and invisible differences in all of us. We can provide a flexible approach to interview and encourage you to chat to us if you require any reasonable adjustments.