Hardware Tools Engineer

MatX•Mountain View, CA

6d•$160,000 - $600,000

About The Position

MatX is building an AI hardware and software stack spanning silicon, rack design, compilers, kernels, and ML models. The Hardware Tools team owns the Bluespec compiler, hardware libraries, and related tools used by MatX’s Architecture, Design, Design Verification, and Formal Verification teams. The role improves the engineers’ productivity and helps them identify problems earlier, with work evaluated by its impact on their schedules. The compiler is a mature open-source Haskell codebase with MatX extensions and is actively used on a chip in tapeout. The engineer will work safely within this existing system while developing capabilities for future chips, collaborating directly with hardware teams to understand their needs and determine what to build. The role may be based in MatX’s Mountain View, California office or remotely, with a few trips each year to meet collaborators in person. The position requires access to information subject to U.S. export controls; employment is contingent on the applicant being able to perform the job in compliance with applicable export control laws without obtaining a license.

Requirements

Ability to work independently at a senior level, clarify ambiguous requests, identify underlying problems, and drive solutions through shipment without close supervision.
Ability to write, debug, and profile production Haskell in a large codebase.
Production Rust programming experience.
Ability to read Bluespec, Verilog, or SystemVerilog well enough to understand compiler output and the behavior of a design, test, or proof.
Experience building tools relied on by other engineers and improving those tools based on user feedback.
Comfort with Python, build systems, and continuous integration (CI).
Ability to perform the job in compliance with U.S. export control laws without obtaining an export-control license.

Nice To Haves

Experience building a compiler or verifying one through translation validation, a verified compiler such as CompCert or CakeML, or systematic compiler testing and fuzzing.
Contributions to bsc, GHC, rustc, or another production compiler.
Experience with Bluespec (BH or BSV), Chisel, Clash, or another high-level hardware language.
Experience with hardware verification, including SystemVerilog Assertions, simulation testbenches, or model checking with JasperGold, VC Formal, or SymbiYosys.
Experience with interactive theorem provers such as Isabelle/HOL, Lean, or Rocq; mechanized hardware semantics such as Kami or Koika; or semantics frameworks such as K, Sail, or Ott.
Experience using SAT or SMT solvers within a type checker or another compiler pass.
Experience with language servers, debuggers, or waveform tools.
Knowledge of open-source hardware tools and their internals, such as Yosys, Verilator, or SymbiYosys.
Hardware design experience.
Prior knowledge of GHC internals.

Responsibilities

Work with architects, designers, and verification engineers to identify their needs, choose tools to build, and measure the tools’ impact after adoption.
Improve Bluespec, its type system, libraries, and compiler to make hardware faster to write and build, easier to change, and less prone to errors; current examples include compile speed and stable, reproducible output.
Build tools that expose compiler knowledge to simulation and formal verification, including Bluespec assertions, compiler-generated checks and formal assumptions, and flows that compare Rust reference models with RTL.
Develop debugging, editor, and build tools that improve hardware engineers’ productivity.
Own compiler and library testing and releases to ensure new releases do not break teams’ builds.
Fix recurring issues in the compiler, libraries, or shared workflows so engineers do not encounter them again.
Contribute appropriate fixes and features upstream to the open-source compiler.
Occasionally travel to meet the teams the role supports in person.

Benefits

Four weeks of accrued PTO, 12 company holidays, and up to three weeks of remote work.
Company-subsidized medical insurance through Kaiser or Anthem for employees and dependents; Guardian dental and vision insurance for employees and dependents; and life insurance for employees.
HSA and FSA offerings through Lively.
Choice of Roth or pre-tax 401(k), or both, with a 5% company contribution even if the employee does not contribute.
100% company-paid life insurance up to $300,000, long-term disability insurance, and travel insurance.
$1,500 annual professional development budget.
Onsite team lunch and dinner Monday through Friday, with ordering through WeBox, Specialty’s, or a reimbursement system.
100% coverage for daily commuting through a company rideshare account, public transportation reimbursement, or a Fasttrak card.
$50 per month for a perk of the employee’s choice.
Cellular reimbursement of $35 per month and Wi-Fi reimbursement of $40 per month.
Remote home-office setup purchases up to $1,000 through the company’s Amazon business account.
Fully paid mental health benefit through SpringHealth and Guardian EAP.
Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave regardless of path to parenthood, 10 weeks of pregnancy disability leave, flexible return-to-work hours, and a $6,000 Family Fund for eligible family-related expenses.
Equity in addition to base salary.