Hardware Engineering Architect, Server/Remote/Hybrid

Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced Hardware Engineering Architect for Server/AI Products to lead architecture concept work during the early design phase. This role focuses on translating customer use cases and technical trends into viable, scalable server architectures to support RFQ/RFI and new business engagements. You will collaborate closely with stakeholders (e.g., CTO, BU, Marketing) to define system-level strategy, high-level configurations, and functional requirements for next-generation server/AI platforms.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead system-level architecture planning for Server/AI platforms, including product configuration definition, functional partitioning, and mechanical/thermal/power/cooling feasibility alignment.

• Drive the definition of system requirements, interface specifications, and early configuration options (e.g., GPU, accelerator, storage, and compute servers).

• Conduct architectural trade-off analysis balancing performance, cost, power, scalability, and manufacturability.

• Collaborate with EE, thermal, mechanical, BMC, and firmware architects to form a complete product-level concept package.

• Work with Architecture and BU teams to evaluate RFQ/RFI requirements and generate competitive architecture proposals.

• Define and propose system topologies, mechanical footprints, airflow design, I/O mappings, and cabling options.

• Interface with customers and internal stakeholders to align design intent and value proposition during the concept phase.

• Present and document concept proposals that include block diagrams, design strategy, trade-off summary, and risk evaluation.

• Stay up to date with Open Compute (OCP), Computer Express Link (CXL) or Open BMC.

• Evaluate and integrate technology enablers such as PCIe Gen5/6, 112G PAM4 SerDes, high-efficiency power stages, and new materials.

• Participate in roadmap planning with BU/CTO to ensure platform reusability and alignment with future-generation technologies.

• Define how electrical, mechanical, thermal, and firmware domains interact to support functional and performance goals.

• Coordinate platform-level integration strategies including MB placement, airflow optimization, and system serviceability.

• Align system-level DFM/EMC/thermal reliability requirements in early phase and guide downstream teams with clear targets.

• Lead the creation of architecture decks, system requirements, platform-level block diagrams, and BoM-level feasibility plans.

• Drive internal and customer-facing design reviews for architecture alignment and requirement sign-off.

• Maintain issue-tracking and lessons-learned documentation to improve future concept efficiency.

Technical Skills

• Ability to research and explore unfamiliar technologies and concepts with an eye towards feasibility.

• Familiarity with the Intel, AMD, Nvidia or ARM CPU/GPU architectures.

• Specifically, an understanding of how to optimize performance, IO, thermals, real-estate and/or power.

• Direct experience with at least some of the above is preferred.

• Familiarity with PCB board materials and construction techniques.

• Specifically, an understanding of trade-offs and optimizations around insertion loss, via construction, stack-ups and sizing of power planes and shapes.

• High-level understanding of voltage regulators related to types of VR architectures, trade-offs, efficiency, thermals, and critical VR components.

• Ability to use industry standard ECAD tools to review layouts and schematics is required.

• Ability to manipulate existing ECAD layouts and schematic databases for purposes of architectural planning and assessment preferred.

• Experience coding, sizing, and planning FPGAs, preferred.

• Fluency in the mechanical, firmware and software domain.

• Specifically, an understanding of basics nomenclature, concepts and tools used by your architectural teammates.

• Fluency in the thermal domain.

• Specifically, an understanding of component cooling techniques, when components require cooling and what information your thermal engineering teammate needs during concept assessment.

Desired Traits & Skills

• Strategic thinker with system-level ownership mindset

• Familiarity with system-level architecture

• Strong leadership and cross-functional coordination skills

• Comfortable working in fast-paced, cross-functional, global teams

• Proactive, self-driven, with high adaptability

• Clear technical communicator, able to present trade-offs and justify proposals

• Capable of NRE estimation and abstract requirement hardening

• Fluent in English; able to work with global teams and customers

Education & Experience Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Computer Engineering, or a related field (Master’s preferred)

• 15+ years of experience in data center system/server architecture

• Demonstrated experience leading concept-phase architecture for AI/server products