Director, GPU Compilers
About the role
Samsung, a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, is founded on a simple philosophy – the endless pursuit of excellence will create a better world for all. At Samsung Austin Research and Development Center (SARC) and Advanced Computing Lab (ACL), we are building a center of excellence for Intellectual Property (IP) that is applied to high-performance computing devices consumed by millions of people around the world.
Responsibilities
- Manage a team of engineers to deliver compiler software for Samsung GPUs, which are packaged as part of Samsung SOCs; the team supports a common back end that translates intermediate representations into machine language.
- Ensure the compiler is updated annually to address new optimizations, new hardware features, new front-end features requiring back-end support, and improving correctness.
- Provide technical leadership by researching advances in compilers, software engineering, graphics, and related disciplines, and translating them into improvements to the compiler back end through prototyping, open-source contributions, AI-assisted tools, and supervised engineering experiments.
- Implement register allocation, instruction scheduling, graphics-specific optimizations, SIMD-relevant control flow, and code placement optimizations.
- Apply classic machine-independent optimizations, preferably on low-level IRs.
- Optimize applications to reduce execution time, memory usage, or power usage.
- Lead the annual planning process for next-generation hardware support, including effort estimation and cross-functional negotiation with architecture and engineering leads.
- Present team objectives, key results, and periodic activity summaries to senior leadership.
- Coordinate and communicate regularly with peer teams, architecture leads, and senior management to align priorities and share progress.
- Hold regular one-on-one and team meetings to review status, maintain focus on priorities, and report progress up the management chain.
- Document and submit team-generated intellectual property for protection following major releases.
- Conduct annual performance reviews and deliver feedback to each team member.
- Recognize strong performance and support each engineer's professional development through regular coaching and mentorship.
Requirements
- 15+ years of experience with a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science/Computer Engineering/relevant technical field, or 13+ years with a Master's degree, or 11+ years with a PhD.
- 10+ years of experience managing software engineers who produced system-level software (compiler, operating systems, etc.).
- In-depth understanding of compiler back-end technology and experience building or enhancing at least 2 different compilation systems.
- Sufficient experience with modern C++ and Python to read and understand code.
- Practical experience developing JIT compilers or compilers for shader languages.
- Knowledge of OpenGL/OpenGL-ES, OpenCL, SPIR-V.
- Compiler development for mobile architectures is highly preferred.
- Knowledge of Android ecosystem is a plus.
About the team
The System Software team is part of SARC/ACL GPU Software Development organization, focused on designing and developing cutting-edge graphics hardware and drivers to deliver a world-class mobile graphics experience. As the first to bring Ray Tracing and console-quality graphics to the mobile platform, we collaborate closely with leading game engine providers to push boundaries, innovate across key differentiating areas of Samsung's power- and performance-optimized GPU IP, and redefine the mobile gaming experience for users worldwide. At SARC/ACL, you will work alongside a diverse global task force with cross-functional impact, contributing to multiple stages of the technology development cycle and seeing your work in real-world products.
Pay
The base pay range for this role is between $221,700 and $364,800. Actual base pay will depend on variables that may include education, skills, qualifications, experience, and work location. This is an exempt position, not eligible for overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Regular full-time employees are eligible for MBO bonus compensation based on company, division, and individual performance. This role might also be eligible to participate in a long-term incentive plan and relocation.
Benefits
- Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance
- 401(k)
- Free onsite lunch
- Employee purchase program
- Tuition assistance (after 6 months)
- Paid time off
- Wellness incentives