CPU Performance Principal Microarchitecture Engineer

Role Description

We are seeking a CPU Micro-architect to join our CPU Performance team in Austin or Raleigh. In this role, you will focus on defining the microarchitecture for Arm’s next-generation Cortex-X and Neoverse CPUs. You will drive innovations in CPU design by developing performance models, analyzing workloads, and shaping the architecture that will power billions of devices. This position provides the opportunity to work across architecture, design, and performance analysis, while influencing both Arm’s internal design direction and partner engagement.

Responsibilities

As part of the CPU Performance – uArch Exploration team, you will be accountable for:

Architecture Definition & Innovation

• Define and design next-generation CPU microarchitecture with industry-leading performance, power, and area efficiency.
• Propose and evaluate microarchitectural innovations using cycle-accurate and functional simulators.
• Estimate impacts on performance, power, and area to guide design trade-offs.

Performance Analysis

• Develop and refine performance models to evaluate new microarchitectural ideas.
• Analyze workloads and identify sensitivities to guide design choices.
• Correlate simulation and performance results to ensure accuracy of models.

Collaboration & Influence

• Partner with CPU design teams to integrate architectural innovations into real designs.
• Engage with ecosystem partners to understand future performance requirements and workload expectations.
• Present and communicate complex technical concepts clearly across diverse audiences.

Mentorship & Leadership

• Provide technical mentorship to less-experienced engineers in microarchitecture and performance analysis.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of team methodologies, tools, and workflows.

Required Skills and Qualifications

• Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or Computer Engineering.
• 15 years shown experience in CPU/system microarchitecture development, performance modeling, or microarchitectural workload analysis.
• Proven expertise in high-performance CPU microarchitecture.
• Deep understanding of performance, power, and area trade-offs.
• Hands-on experience with cycle-accurate simulators and performance modeling infrastructure.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to debug and reason across complex systems.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated track record of successful microarchitectural innovation from concept through implementation.
• Familiarity with advanced software engineering practices, performance profiling, and programming in multiple languages (C++, Python, etc.).
• Experience directly contacting customers or partners to gather requirements and present findings.
• Passion for continuous learning and driving improvements in methodology and tools.

Salary Range:

$249,900-$338,100 USD per year

We value people as individuals and our dedication is to reward people competitively and equitably for the work they do and the skills and experience they bring to Arm. Salary is only one component of Arm's offering. The total reward package will be shared with candidates during the recruitment and selection process.

Arm is the industry’s highest-performing and most power-efficient compute platform with unmatched scale that touches 100 percent of the connected global population. To meet the insatiable demand for compute, Arm is delivering advanced solutions that allow the world’s leading technology companies to unleash the unprecedented experiences and capabilities of AI. Together with the world’s largest computing ecosystem and 22 million software developers, we are building the future of AI on Arm.