Principal, Server CPU Validation Engineer - CA, Santa Clara, United States
Originally posted 22 October 2026 by the employer.
About the role
This role drives CPU validation strategy, test planning, and execution across server platforms within the Server Platform Solutions Engineering team. You will lead the development of validation methodologies and partner with technical leaders to validate technologies including PCIe, CXL, and coherent interconnects.
What you'll do
- Drive CPU validation strategy, test planning, and execution across server platforms. - Lead development of validation methodologies, tools, and frameworks to identify architectural, design, and manufacturing issues. - Partner with technical leaders to validate technologies including PCIe, CXL, and coherent interconnects. - Define large-scale validation and emulation strategies to maximize product quality and deployment. - Drive automation requirements and AI-enabled solutions to improve validation efficiency, debug capabilities, and time-to-market. - Serve as the technical leader for complex system-level debug challenges spanning hardware and software.
What you'll need
- Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science. - Understanding of modern x86 CPU and server platform architectures. - Experience developing validation methodologies, infrastructure, and test plans. - Experience with multiple silicon bring-ups and driving silicon to production, alongside debug experience. - System-level and SoC debug skills. - Programming and scripting experience in C/C++ or Python, with working knowledge of Linux and Windows server operating systems. - Demonstrated experience using AI for test planning, test content, test execution, and debug.
Nice to have
- Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science.
Skills: CPU Validation, Post-Silicon, Silicon Bring-Up, PCIe, CXL
This role has been open 0 days — well below the 44-day median for Post-Silicon Validation roles.
Post-Silicon Validation · Silicon Validation
|
Open roles in category
414
|
Median days open
44 d
|
Median salary
$166k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | AMD | All employers we track in this specialty (414 roles · 62 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 55 | 414 |
| Open roles in the wider Silicon Validation & Test family | 143 | 2256 · 113 employers |
| Median days open | 41 d | 44 d (−3 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $166k |
Skills observed across this category: CPU Validation, Post-Silicon, Silicon Bring-Up, PCIe, CXL
Who's hiring in this category
- AMD (this employer) · 54 open roles · median 48 d
- Qualcomm · 38 open roles · median 28 d
- Micron Technology · 37 open roles · median 44 d
- NVIDIA · 25 open roles · median 23 d
- Microchip Technology · 22 open roles · median 73 d
- Graphcore · 21 open roles · median 126 d
How we counted: 414 open Post-Silicon Validation (Silicon Validation) roles from 62 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 22 Oct 2026. Specialty figures count only roles carrying this exact specialty label, so an employer's related work in neighbouring specialties is not included there — it is counted in the wider Silicon Validation & Test family row. Figures refresh nightly.