AI SoC Validation / Bring-up Lead
GraphcoreAI & company
Bristol, United KingdomMid
Baillie Gifford
SoftBank Group
Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan
Fidelity International
Schroders
Draper Esprit
About the role
TL;DR
AI SoC Validation / Bring-up Lead
- •About Graphcore Graphcore is one of the world’s leading innovators in Artificial Intelligence compute.
- •It is developing hardware, software and systems infrastructure that will unlock the next generation of AI breakthroughs and power the widespread adoption of AI solutions across every industry.
- •As part of the SoftBank Group, Graphcore is a member of an elite family of companies responsible for some of the world’s most transformative technologies.
- •Together, they share a bold vision: to enable Artificial Super Intelligence and ensure its benefits are accessible to everyone.
- •Graphcore’s teams are drawn from diverse backgrounds and bring a broad range of skills and perspectives.
- •A melting pot of AI research specialists, silicon designers, software engineers and systems architects, Graphcore enjoys a culture of continuous learning and constant innovation.
- •The Role: We are developing the next generation of AI compute, a large-scale system-on-chip (SoC) designed to power future high-performance AI systems.
- •As the SoC Validation Lead, you will be responsible for enabling pre-production software to run reliably on new silicon quickly and efficiently, before showing that the silicon meets the highest standards of quality, reliability and functionality, ready for production deployment.
- •You will lead a team delivering post-silicon validation across the full AI SoC, working across silicon, firmware, and platform levels.
- •The role requires a deep technical understanding, strong hands-on debug experience, and the ability to collaborate effectively with hardware, software, and systems engineering teams.
- •Responsibilities: Define and lead post-silicon validation strategy Develop and refine the overall post-silicon validation approach for our AI SoCs, ensuring reliable and timely delivery of validated silicon, architectural correctness, feature robustness, and at-scale system reliability.
- •Drive cross-domain debug and issue resolution Lead investigation and resolution of complex issues spanning silicon, firmware, operating systems, and platform interactions.
- •Ensure that fixes are effective and sustainable.
- •Promote collaboration and shared understanding Work closely with design, software, and validation teams to align on quality objectives and debug priorities.
- •Use data-driven insights and clear communication to maintain focus and alignment across teams.
- •Advance automation and scalable validation Encourage the use of emulation, prototyping, and large-scale validation infrastructure to improve coverage and reduce time to debug.
- •Support continuous improvement Foster a culture that values learning, transparency, and improvement in validation methods, automation, and analysis.
- •Engage with leadership and customers Provide clear and concise updates on validation progress, risks, and quality indicators to executive teams and key partners.
- •Contribute to product readiness assessments and roadmap decisions.
- •About you: A systems thinker comfortable working across hardware, software, and integration boundaries.
- •A collaborative leader who builds trust and alignment across diverse teams.
- •Skilled in technical problem solving and debugging complex post-silicon issues.
- •A clear communicator who can simplify complexity and support sound decision-making in fast-paced environments.
- •Committed to developing people and promoting an inclusive, high-performing team culture.
- •Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in Electronic Engineering or equivalent; Master’s preferred. 20+ years in silicon, system, or platform validation, including 10+ years in technical leadership.
- •Proven experience leading post-silicon validation and bring-up for complex SoCs (AI, GPU, or CPU).
- •Strong understanding of SoC architecture, coherency protocols, power management, and interconnects.
- •Expertise in debug tools, DFT infrastructure, and validation automation frameworks.
- •Proficient in C/C++, Python, and Linux-based environments; experience with large-scale validation clusters is an advantage.
- •Excellent communication, collaboration, and stakeholder management skills.
- •Benefits In addition to a competitive salary, Graphcore offers flexible working, a generous annual leave policy, private medical insurance and health cash plan, a dental plan, pension (matched up to 5%), life assurance and income protection.
- •We have a generous parental leave policy and an employee assistance programme (which includes health, mental wellbeing, and bereavement support).
- •We offer a range of healthy food and snacks at our central Bristol office and have our own barista bar! 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.
- •Applicants for this position must hold the right to work in the UK.
- •Unfortunately at this time, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship or support for visa applications
Benefits & perks
Health insurance, Retirement plan, Parental leave
Tech stack
PythonRustC++