Job Description

At Cadence, we hire and develop leaders and innovators who want to make an impact on the world of technology.

The Cadence SSG Central Applications Engineering team is seeking a Systems Solutions Architect and Technical Lead to define compute-centric solutions for Physical AI. In this role, your primary responsibility is to define SoC subsystems for AI applications using Cadence DSPs, CPUs, NPUs, and accelerators. You will analyze the requirements of Edge AI and Physical AI applications, and optimize subsystems for power, performance, area, and software flexibility. Additionally, you will define the SoC integration and software runtime requirements for these subsystems from the perspective of boot/control, runtime data flows, security, and safety.

In this role, you will set the technical vision and architecture for the subsystems, partnering closely with hardware implementation, software engineering, and performance modeling teams. Leveraging Cadence’s Silicon Solutions Group (SSG) IP portfolio, you will implement Physical AI, Computer Vision, and Audio algorithms into deployed, real-world systems.

Responsibilities

• Define and own the system architecture for new hardware subsystems (compute, memory, interconnects, interfaces) and corresponding software stack (drivers, HAL, compiler runtimes, and middleware).
• Architect solutions using the entire portfolio Cadence SSG IP, including compute (Tensilica DSPs and CPUs), Accelerators (Neo NPU and application-specific), interface IP, and memory controllers.
• Partner closely with dedicated Performance Modeling teams to build cycle-accurate or transaction-level (TLM) simulations of the SoC subsystem. Use performance simulation data to identify bottlenecks before committing to silicon.
• Hand off clear architectural specifications to experienced RTL/Hardware Implementation teams and Software/Firmware Engineering teams and serve as the bridge between these teams to ensure alignment.
• Act as the final authority during system integration, validating that the implemented software stack extracts maximum performance from the physical hardware features.
• Build scalable proof-of-concept (PoC) and reference designs that demonstrate the capabilities of the integrated Cadence IP platform.
• Act as the technical liaison with Cadence engineering partners to influence future IP roadmaps based on emerging Physical AI trends (e.g., robotics, autonomous systems, edge transformers).

Required Skills

• 12+ years in a leading architectural or system engineering role, with a demonstrable history of architecting complex systems from concept through to production.
• Proven track record of designing integrated solutions where hardware features are explicitly built to support software mechanics, and vice versa.
• Experience collaborating with, or leading performance modeling teams using SystemC, TLM, or custom cycle-accurate simulator infrastructures.
• Experience in Physical AI (robotics, autonomous systems) delivering real-time Imaging and/or Radar (spatial awareness, tracking) and Advanced Audio processing.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to travel up to 10% of the time, including internationally.

The annual salary range for California is $185,500 to $344,500. You may also be eligible to receive incentive compensation: bonus, equity, and benefits. Sales positions generally offer a competitive On Target Earnings (OTE) incentive compensation structure. Please note that the salary range is a guideline and compensation may vary based on factors such as qualifications, skill level, competencies and work location. Our benefits programs include: paid vacation and paid holidays, 401(k) plan with employer match, employee stock purchase plan, a variety of medical, dental and vision plan options, and more.

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