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NVIDIA

Lead Performance Modeling Architect, CPU Fabric and LLC

NVIDIA
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onsite senior full-time Santa Clara

First indexed 6 May 2026

Description

We are seeking a Lead Performance Modeling Engineer to guide our performance architecture team. You will act as the primary architect for performance models covering next-generation cache hierarchies and I/O coherent interconnects. These models will scale from Automotive to Data Center platforms.

As a technical lead, you will balance individual technical contributions with team mentorship and multi-functional strategy.

Responsibilities:

  • Define the long-term vision for our modeling infrastructure, choosing between cycle-accurate, analytical, and stochastic modeling approaches to meet project achievements.
  • Lead a team of modeling engineers, offering in-depth technical mentorship, conducting code/architecture reviews, and encouraging a culture of rigorous data-driven decision-making.
  • Act as the primary liaison between Architecture, RTL Build, and Software teams to resolve complex performance bottlenecks and trade-offs.
  • Drive the adoption of advanced modeling methodologies (e.g., hybrid emulation/simulation, AI-based performance optimization) to accelerate the build cycle.
  • Allocate simulation workloads and engineering efforts across several simultaneous projects in the automotive and data center sectors.

Requirements:

  • A Master’s or Ph.D. in Computer Engineering or a related field (or equivalent experience), with 8+ years of experience in high-performance silicon architecture.
  • Extensive experience managing technical teams or complex projects in the field of performance modeling or computer architecture.
  • Proficiency in cache coherency protocols (e.g., AMBA CHI, MESI), memory sub-systems, and high-speed interconnect fabric build.
  • Significant experience building and architecting large-scale simulators in C++ or SystemC, with a focus on modularity and simulation speed.
  • A track record of using statistical analysis to validate model accuracy against RTL or silicon and the ability to explain complex performance 'cliffs' to executive collaborators.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Full-Stack Performance Experience: You have seen the entire lifecycle of an interconnect,from a whiteboard sketch and C++ model to RTL integration and post-silicon performance tuning.
  • Standardization Influence: Active participation in industry bodies (e.g., CXL Consortium, Arm ecosystem committees) or a history of published architectural research.
  • Scalability Expertise: You have a proven record of addressing the outstanding challenges of both low-latency, safety-critical clusters and massive, high-bandwidth mesh networks for cloud-scale deployments.
  • Critical Thinking: The ability to explain not just how a system works, but also how architectural decisions affect the total cost of ownership for data centers or safety margins in automotive.