Full-Time

Senior Hardware Validation & SI Correlation Engineer

Updated on 6/16/2026

SambaNova Systems

SambaNova Systems

201-500 employees

Enterprise AI platform with hardware stack

Compensation Overview

$210k - $280k/yr

San Jose, CA, USA

In Person

Category
Hardware Engineering (1)
Required Skills
Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Design
Bash
Python
Perl
Oscilloscope
Requirements
  • B.S. or M.S. in Electrical Engineering (M.S. preferred).
  • 10+ years of experience in high-speed digital design or hardware validation within a data center, systems architecture, or server bring-up environment.
  • Expert-level proficiency in SI/EM tools: Ansys HFSS/SIwave, Cadence Sigrity/Allegro, or Keysight ADS.
  • Hands-on mastery of high-bandwidth real-time oscilloscopes, VNAs, and logic analyzers.
  • Deep knowledge of high-speed protocol physical layers (PCIe, IEEE 802.3) and low-speed control buses (I2C, SPI).
  • Strong fundamentals in digital circuit design, debug, and computer architecture.
  • Familiarity with the unique power and thermal challenges of high-density AI clusters—including 48V power delivery and high di/dt transients.
  • Programming fluency in Python or equivalent scripting languages (Perl, Shell).
  • PCIE Gen5/6 and 100g Ethernet Expertise
Responsibilities
  • SI Modeling & Measurement Correlation: Drive the correlation between pre- and post-layout SI simulations and physical lab measurements, closing the loop between theory and hardware reality.
  • Quantify simulation-vs-measurement gaps for PCIe Gen5/6, DDR5, and 112G/224G Ethernet using S-parameters, TDR, and eye diagram analysis.
  • Develop and refine EM models for PCB discontinuities, high-speed connectors, and vias using Ansys HFSS, Cadence Sigrity, or equivalent tools.
  • Investigate discrepancies caused by manufacturing tolerances, material properties (Dk/Df), or de-embedding inaccuracies and drive them to resolution.
  • Lead validation of housekeeping and control buses—I2C, SPI, eSPI, UART, SMBus—ensuring protocol compliance and robust timing margins.
  • Validate complex power-on/off sequences and correlate VR control loop simulations with physical transient response and ripple measurements.
  • Ensure reliable operation of sideband signals, reset logic, and BMC hardware interfaces under intensive AI workloads.
  • Work cross-functionally with SI, Power Integrity (PI), and Firmware teams to resolve system-hang and link-training failures rooted in electrical noise or power instability.
  • Author comprehensive Hardware Validation Plans (HVP) with full coverage of critical electrical test points.
  • Build Python-based automation scripts to drive data collection from VNAs, BERTs, and oscilloscopes—accelerating validation throughput and repeatability.
Desired Qualifications
  • M.S. or Ph.D. with emphasis in Electromagnetics, Computer Architecture, or Power Electronics.
  • Hands-on experience validating GPU/TPU modules or AI-specific interconnects such as NVLink or CXL.
  • Ability to build end-to-end automated test frameworks in Python or TCL, integrating lab equipment with Pandas/NumPy for rapid correlation.
  • Transaction- and link-layer expertise in PCIe Gen5/6 and DDR5—not just physical layer knowledge.

Generating company summary.

Company Size

201-500

Company Stage

Series E

Total Funding

$1.5B

Headquarters

Palo Alto, California

Founded

2017

Your Connections

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • TEPCO Systems expands SambaNova into Japan's utility and critical infrastructure market.
  • Agentic AI demand favors efficient inference platforms over training-centric GPU stacks.
  • Software and finance hires strengthen execution for larger enterprise deployments.

What critics are saying

  • Nvidia's ecosystem keeps developer mindshare and procurement defaults against SambaNova.
  • Single-channel expansion through TEPCO concentrates Japan execution risk.
  • Heavy hardware investment increases liquidity pressure if revenue scaling slows.

What makes SambaNova Systems unique

  • SambaNova offers a full-stack AI platform spanning agents, models, knowledge, and data.
  • Its inference-first hardware software stack targets enterprise and sovereign AI deployments.
  • Intel collaboration validates heterogeneous inference built on SambaNova systems and Xeon infrastructure.

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Benefits

Flexible PTO in US

Parental Leave

Benefits (medical, dental and vision)

Flexible Spending Accounts

401k/Pensions

Gym Access

Flexible Working Hours

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

-2%

1 year growth

-1%

2 year growth

0%
SambaNova
Jun 12th, 2026
SambaNova names engineering and finance leaders to accelerate growth.

SambaNova names engineering and finance leaders to accelerate growth. by SambaNova June 12, 2026 SAN JOSE, Calif. - June 12, 2026 - SambaNova, a leader in next-generation AI infrastructure, today announced the appointment of Matt Padfield as Chief Financial Officer and Rich Heaton as Executive Vice President of Software. The appointments come as SambaNova enters a new phase of scale, driven by surging demand for premium inference and agentic AI. "In a market that moves this fast, you need leaders who are wired for scale, speed, and ambition. Matt and Rich bring exactly that. We're building something rare at SambaNova - the leading premium inference chip, accelerating customer demand, and momentum that's only growing. Welcome to the team," said Rodrigo Liang, co-founder and CEO of SambaNova. Matt Padfield, Chief Financial Officer Matt joins SambaNova to build and lead the financial infrastructure that will support the company's next stage of growth, from operational rigor to strategic decision-making and capital allocation. Padfield brings deep finance leadership from high-growth semiconductor and technology companies, most recently as Group Vice President of Corporate FP&A at Coherent, and previously VP of FP&A and Corporate Development at Synaptics, where he served in an acting CFO capacity and led $1B+ in M&A activity. "SambaNova is at a profound inflection point, driven by proven technology and explosive market demand," said Matt Padfield. "I'm excited to build a financial architecture that acts as a strategic engine for expansion, ensuring we optimize capital allocation, accelerate operational velocity, and translate our technological advantages into long-term value." Rich Heaton, Executive Vice President of Software Rich Heaton will lead the company's software organization with the mandate to accelerate the software platform as SambaNova's enterprise deployments surge in volume and complexity. Rich brings 20+ years of experience leading large-scale engineering organizations, most recently as Director of Software at AWS, where he founded and grew the Neuron SDK organization, delivering the ML acceleration stack powering AWS Trainium and Inferentia. He has held C-level roles at venture-backed startups with successful exits and led a global engineering organization at Cisco. "SambaNova has some of the world's most demanding AI deployments running on its platform. We're in the position the rest of the industry is trying to get to. My job is to make sure our software keeps us there," said Rich Heaton. About SambaNova SambaNova is a leader in next-generation AI infrastructure, providing a full-stack platform that powers efficient AI inference for enterprises, NeoClouds, AI labs and service providers, and sovereign AI initiatives worldwide. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in San Jose, California, SambaNova delivers chips, systems, and cloud services that enable customers to deploy state-of-the-art models with superior performance, lower total cost of ownership, and rapid time to value. Visit sambanova.ai or follow SambaNova on X and LinkedIn. Contacts Virginia Jamieson, Head of Communications, SambaNova [email protected] +1 (650) 279-8619

Northland News Radio
May 1st, 2026
Intel's $35M SambaNova investment clears US antitrust review

US antitrust authorities have completed their review of Intel's investment in SambaNova, a chip startup chaired by Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan, according to a regulatory notice issued on Friday. Intel invested $35 million in SambaNova in February, increasing its stake to 8.2% from 6.8%. The company plans to invest an additional $15 million in the startup, Reuters previously reported. The clearance removes regulatory obstacles to Intel's continued backing of the AI chip company.

SambaNova
Apr 21st, 2026
SambaNova and TEPCO Systems partner to deliver energy-efficient AI infrastructure to Japan's power sector.

SambaNova and TEPCO Systems partner to deliver energy-efficient AI infrastructure to Japan's power sector. SAN JOSE, Calif. - April 21, 2026 - SambaNova, a leader in next-generation AI infrastructure, announces that TEPCO Systems Corporation ("TEPCO Systems"), the digital transformation arm of Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Incorporated ("TEPCO Group"), has signed a distributor agreement to bring SambaNova's energy-efficient, high-performance AI infrastructure to enterprises across Japan. Under the agreement, TEPCO Systems will also deploy SambaNova's AI infrastructure as the foundation for the TEPCO Group's next-generation AI system platform, powering mission-critical applications that demand performance, security, and efficiency at scale. TEPCO Systems is adopting SambaNova's AI infrastructure - which delivers outstanding power efficiency and inference performance - to build new AI data center capabilities, while also offering these services to customers beyond the TEPCO Group. This collaboration will help accelerate Japan's AI-driven digital transformation by enabling organizations to run advanced AI workloads with reduced energy consumption and a lower total cost of ownership. SambaNova's systems have already been selected for deployment in projects such as NEDO's (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization) "Post-5G Information and Communication System Infrastructure Enhancement R&D Project (Advanced Computing Resources) / Development of Post-5G Information and Communication Systems / R&D on the Utilization of Diverse AI Semiconductors and High-Efficiency Computing Resources (JPNP2501)," further underscoring the platform's suitability for large-scale, compute-intensive environments. TEPCO Systems: building next-generation AI data centers "SambaNova's AI infrastructure enables accurate, high-speed inference using highly confidential internal data in a secure environment, while also offering excellent power efficiency," said Haruki Mino, President at TEPCO Systems Corporation. "For this reason, we are evaluating SambaNova as the platform for our next-generation AI data centers." "Working together with SambaNova, TEPCO Systems will provide energy-efficient, high-performance modular AI systems and services centered on SambaNova's technology," added Mino. "This will help advance the sophistication of the electric power business through AI and accelerate our digital transformation, while also supporting green transformation initiatives and expanding our external AI data center business for customers outside the TEPCO Group." Meeting Japan's demand for secure, efficient AI at scale "As agentic AI moves from proof-of-concept into full-scale deployment, customers are seeking dramatically higher inference performance without compromising power efficiency or security," said Toshinori Kujiraoka, Vice President, Asia Pacific, SambaNova. "Through this distributor agreement, TEPCO Systems can now deliver SambaNova's next-generation AI infrastructure to more enterprises across Japan and support the construction of highly reliable AI systems that meet the stringent requirements of mission-critical environments." "Together, we will build sustainable AI data centers for the TEPCO Group that combine high performance with low power consumption, accelerating DX initiatives while helping organizations reduce their energy footprint," Kujiraoka continued. A new blueprint for large-scale AI in energy "TEPCO Systems is at the forefront of AI transformation in the energy sector, and it is a great honor to deepen our collaboration through this agreement," said Rodrigo Liang, Co-founder and CEO, SambaNova. "By combining TEPCO Systems' expertise in operating large-scale, mission-critical infrastructure with SambaNova's AI platform, we've created the blueprint for how utilities and critical infrastructure operators can deploy AI responsibly and sustainably." About TEPCO Systems Corporation TEPCO Systems Corporation is a core member of the TEPCO Group responsible for driving digital transformation across the utility's operations, from power generation and grid management to customer services. Headquartered in Koto-ku, Tokyo, TEPCO Systems develops and operates large-scale IT and OT systems that support reliable, safe, and efficient energy delivery in Japan. About SambaNova SambaNova is a leader in next-generation AI infrastructure, providing a full-stack platform that delivers the fastest and most efficient AI inference for enterprises, NeoClouds, AI research labs, service providers, and sovereign AI initiatives worldwide. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in San Jose, California, SambaNova offers chips, systems, and cloud services that enable customers to deploy state-of-the-art models with superior performance, lower total cost of ownership, and faster time to value. For more information, visit sambanova.ai or contact [email protected]. Contacts Virginia Jamieson, Head of Communications, SambaNova [email protected]

The Associated Press
Apr 8th, 2026
SambaNova and Intel unveil hybrid AI inference blueprint combining GPUs, RDUs, and Xeon 6 CPUs for agentic workloads

SambaNova and Intel have announced a heterogeneous AI inference system combining GPUs for prefill, SambaNova RDUs for decode, and Intel Xeon 6 processors for agentic tools. The solution targets enterprise agentic AI applications and will be available in the second half of 2026. The architecture addresses production agentic AI workloads by using GPUs for parallel processing, SambaNova's SN50 RDU for high-throughput token generation, and Xeon 6 processors for task coordination and code execution. According to SambaNova, Xeon 6 delivers over 50% faster compilation times compared to Arm-based server CPUs. The system is designed for standard air-cooled data centres, enabling enterprises and sovereign AI programmes to run production-scale AI whilst maintaining data residency and security requirements without building new facilities.

NiftyGPT
Apr 2nd, 2026
Intel invests additional $15M in AI startup SambaNova, raising stake to 9%

Intel plans to invest an additional $15 million in SambaNova, an AI hardware startup chaired by CEO Lip-Bu Tan, increasing its stake to 9%, according to documents. The investment follows a $35 million commitment in February, bringing Intel's total backing to $50 million. SambaNova develops neural-network accelerator platforms competing with Nvidia and Graphcore. Intel's increased stake aims to integrate its CPU and FPGA technologies with SambaNova's AI inference engines, strengthening its position in the high-performance computing market. The deepening partnership reflects Intel's strategy to diversify its AI portfolio beyond traditional silicon and offer end-to-end AI solutions from data centres to edge deployment. The move could influence supply-chain dynamics and pricing strategies as competition in AI hardware intensifies.