Vice President, Hardware Engineering

Vice President, Hardware Engineering About the Company Innovative AI hardware startup Industry Research Type Privately Held About the Role The Company is seeking a VP of Hardware Engineering to lead the development of a data-center-class AI inference accelerator. The successful candidate will be responsible for defining the architectural vision and translating it into a scalable ASIC implementation, with a focus on low-latency and high-performance. This role involves owning the full silicon lifecycle, from RTL design to post-silicon validation, and requires a hands-on executive who can also build and mentor a world-class engineering organization.

The VP will work closely with applied-AI and software teams on hardware-software co-design, establish relationships with foundries and manufacturing partners, and represent hardware engineering in various strategic discussions. The ideal candidate will have over 10 years of experience in designing high-performance custom silicon for compute-intensive workloads, with a proven track record of successful tape-outs. Mastery of SoC/ASIC architecture, RTL, verification methodology, physical design, and DFT is essential, as is deep familiarity with memory hierarchies, high-bandwidth interconnects, and power-performance trade-offs.

Experience in converting FPGA prototypes into production silicon and a strong ability to recruit and lead multidisciplinary engineering teams in a fast-paced environment are highly valued. The role demands excellent communication skills and the ability to influence company strategy and product roadmap. Travel Percent Less than 10% Functions Engineering Confidential