Sr Performance Validation Engineer

Amazon • Sunnyvale, CA

1d

About The Position

Amazon Lab126 is an inventive research and development company that designs and
engineers high-profile consumer electronics. Lab126 began in 2004 as a
subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc., originally creating the best-selling Kindle
family of products. Since then, we have produced numerous devices like Fire
tablets, Fire TV and Amazon Echo. What will you help us create? The team that
built the innovative SoCs AZ3 and AZ3 Pro that power the latest generation of
Echo devices is looking for Senior Pre-Silicon Performance Validation Engineer
to continue to innovate on behalf of our customers.

As the Senior Pre-Silicon Performance Validation Engineer, you will be
responsible for validating and verifying the performance of complex silicon
designs during the pre-silicon phase, ensuring that our chip designs meet
stringent performance, power, and functionality requirements before tape-out
across multiple process nodes.

Requirements

• 7+ years of UVM, C, System C, and scripting experience
• Deep understanding of digital design principles, timing analysis, and power management techniques. Expertise in pre-silicon performance validation methodologies for complex SoCs or processors using simulation, emulation, and virtual platforms.
• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field with 7+ years of experience
• Proficiency with industry-standard tools including RTL simulators (VCS, Questa, Xcelium), emulation platforms (Palladium, Zebu), and performance analysis tools.
• Strong programming skills in Python, C/C++, SystemVerilog, or similar languages for test automation and performance modeling
• Strong knowledge of semiconductor design flows from architecture to tape-out and their impact on performance

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree or Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering or related field
• Proven track record of successful pre-silicon performance validation on multiple tape-outs.
• Understanding of performance modeling techniques and correlation methodologies.
• Familiarity with industry standards and protocols relevant to the target application domain. Experience with machine learning accelerators, multi-core processors, or similar complex digital designs is a plus
• Experience with emulation-based validation of multi-core processors or SoCs. Knowledge of UPF (Unified Power Format) and low-power design techniques, performance modeling and early power estimation methodologies.
• Experience with virtual prototyping and transaction-level modeling (TLM). Background in RTL design, verification, or architecture is beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute comprehensive validation strategies for silicon performance during the pre-silicon phase using RTL simulations, emulation platforms, and virtual prototypes.
• Develop test plans that verify performance against design specifications before tape-out.
• Create and maintain validation infrastructure including test benches, performance models, simulation environments, and automated validation frameworks.
• Develop and maintain performance models to predict silicon behavior including frequency, power consumption, and thermal characteristics.
• Create methodologies for accurate performance prediction and correlation with expected post-silicon results.
• Identify performance bottlenecks through simulation and analysis, working with design teams to implement optimization strategies before tape-out.
• Debug and Root Cause Analysis
• Establish validation methodologies and best practices that can be adopted across the organization. Create comprehensive checklists and procedures for performance validation activities.
• Work closely with architecture, RTL design, verification and emulation teams to ensure performance requirements are met throughout the pre-silicon development cycle.
• Provide early feedback to design teams on performance optimization opportunities.
• Collaborate with external partners and vendors on emulation and virtual platform activities.

Benefits

• health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage)
• 401(k) matching
• paid time off
• parental leave

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level