Location: Hybrid – Santa Clara, CA or Austin, TX
Type: Full-Time | Salary: $150K–$300K + Competitive Equity
Visa Sponsorship: H-1B, O-1, OPT Available
About the Opportunity
Initio Capital is hiring a Post-Silicon Performance Validation Engineer on behalf of a stealth-mode deep tech startup that is building a new class of RISC-V–based compute accelerators optimized for machine learning, analytics, and data-centric workloads.
Backed by top-tier investors and founded by silicon veterans, this startup is reimagining how accelerator hardware interfaces with real-world software demands. Your mission: validate and optimize silicon in the real world—ensuring every chip delivers on its performance-per-watt promise.
About the Role
You’ll be at the center of post-silicon validation—analyzing performance data, debugging system-level bottlenecks, and improving throughput and efficiency across diverse AI and server benchmarks. You’ll work hands-on with hardware bring-up, performance regression tools, and automation frameworks. This role is inherently cross-functional—blending systems-level thinking with deep technical execution across software, firmware, architecture, and silicon.
What You’ll Do
Validate accelerator silicon performance against real-world workloads and industry benchmarks (e.g., MLPerf)
Build infrastructure to automate post-silicon validation pipelines
Analyze power, thermal, and performance metrics to optimize system-level performance-per-watt
Debug hardware/software interactions and cross-stack inefficiencies
Collaborate with firmware, driver, architecture, and hardware teams to isolate and fix critical issues
Own performance validation methodology from chip bring-up through production
What We’re Looking For
5+ years of hands-on experience in post-silicon validation , SoC bring-up , or performance optimization
Scripting ability in Python or similar (for automation, analysis, and reporting)
Familiarity with power/performance modeling and system profiling tools
Experience validating complex SoCs or accelerators in production settings
Comfort working in a fast-paced, high-ownership startup environment
Experience with MLPerf or similar industry-standard AI benchmarks
Background in CPU/GPU/accelerator validation or performance tuning
Prior work optimizing power-performance tradeoffs in silicon or firmware
Strong written communication and ability to document findings for cross-functional teams
Equity: Competitive early-stage grant
Hybrid work from Santa Clara, CA or Austin, TX
Sponsorship for H-1B, O-1, OPT
Join a founding technical team solving deep performance challenges at the silicon frontier
Work on real workloads that power the next generation of AI infrastructure
If you want to see your work directly impact the performance of cutting-edge silicon deployed in high-stakes, real-world scenarios—this is your moment.
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