NVIDIA Corporation

Principal Systems Software Engineer, Semiconductor Systems Inspection

NVIDIA Corporation$272K — $431K *
Manufacturing & Automotive
11 - 15 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • MS or PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
  • 15+ years in systems design, architecture, and software development.
  • 4+ years in deep learning, machine learning, computer vision, or applied AI.
  • Strong Python skills with familiarity in PyTorch or TensorFlow.
  • Experience with foundational world models in computer vision.
  • Technical leadership in domain-adaptation approaches for inspection problems.
  • Strong analytical and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

  • Define and prototype AI system architectures for semiconductor defect inspection.
  • Advance WFM capabilities using multimodal representation learning and model adaptation.
  • Collaborate with customers and internal teams to enhance workflows for defect detection.
  • Design inspection flows for secure environments focusing on data triage and model inference.
  • Apply semiconductor context to improve model quality and decision support.
  • Mitigate challenges from noisy or limited data through various calibration techniques.
  • Transform research into customer-ready semiconductor inspection products.

Benefits

  • Eligible for equity in the company.
  • Access to comprehensive health and wellness programs.
  • Opportunities for professional development and continued education.
Full Job Description
We're seeking a Principal Software Engineer for Systems Inspection in Santa Clara to develop the next generation of AI products for semiconductor analysis. You'll take promising approaches and make them production-ready for key manufacturing projects, working across computer vision, multimodal AI, anomaly detection, model compression, and deployment optimization. You'll join a small, high-impact core team focused on moving research into deployable products while raising model quality, robustness, and operational readiness for demanding industrial inspection scenarios.

What you'll be doing:
  • Define and prototype AI system architectures for semiconductor defect inspection across optical and e-beam inspection, wafer and mask inspection, metrology, and defect-review workflows.
  • Advance WFM capabilities for semiconductor inspection, including multimodal representation learning, model adaptation, domain transfer, and data-scarce defect understanding.
  • Partner with customers and internal teams to integrate and improve computer vision and multimodal workflows for defect detection, classification, localization, segmentation, nuisance filtering, ADC, and ADR.
  • Design agentic inspection flows for air-gapped fab environments that connect data triage, model inference, review assistance, root-cause analysis, human approval, and secure deployment constraints.
  • Apply semiconductor metrology, inspection, review, and process context-including CD, LER, LWR, overlay, wafer maps, defect maps, SPC signals, and yield signals-to improve model quality and fab decision support.
  • Address noisy, limited, and shifting fab data through tool-to-tool calibration, domain-shift mitigation, synthetic defect generation, noise simulation, and augmentation.
  • Turn research into customer-ready semiconductor inspection products with clear approaches to evaluation, failure analysis, monitoring, optimization, and production deployment.
  • Work with research, software, process, metrology, inspection, review, and hardware teams to set priorities for next-generation semiconductor AI inspection systems.


What we need to see:
  • MS or PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent experience.
  • 15+ years of proven experience in systems design, architecture, and software development.
  • 4+ years of current experience in deep learning, machine learning, computer vision, or applied AI.
  • Strong Python skills and experience with modern deep learning frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow.
  • Experience developing or applying foundational world models in computer vision for classification, detection, segmentation, anomaly detection, or multimodal understanding.
  • A record of technical leadership in domain-adaptation approaches relevant to inspection problems.
  • Strong analytical, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.


Ways to stand out from the crowd:
  • Experience with semiconductor inspection, industrial visual inspection, manufacturing AI, metrology, or defect-review workflows.
  • Experience with knowledge distillation, model compression, quantization, pruning, or deployment optimization for edge or production environments.
  • Background in anomaly detection or anomaly generation, especially in domains with unusual labels and shifting visual distributions.
  • Familiarity with NVIDIA software and deployment tools such as TensorRT, CUDA, cuDNN, Triton, DeepStream, TAO Toolkit, or RAPIDS.
  • Experience building end-to-end pipelines that span data curation and training.


Your base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and the pay of employees in similar positions. The base salary range is 272,000 USD - 431,250 USD.

You will also be eligible for equity and benefits.

Applications for this job will be accepted at least until August 28, 2026.

This posting is for an existing vacancy.

NVIDIA uses AI tools in its recruiting processes.

About NVIDIA Corporation

Nvidia, a global leader in graphics, gaming, and AI technology, offers Nvidia careers and internship opportunities for those passionate about driving innovation in the tech industry. you'll find a company committed to growth, teamwork, and leadership in computer science and machine learning domains.

About Nvidia

A Pioneer in Technology and Innovation

Nvidia has cemented its reputation as a powerhouse in developing advanced graphics processing units (GPUs) and has significantly contributed to the gaming industry's evolution. Moreover, its foray into AI and machine learning has opened new frontiers in technology, making Nvidia a beacon of innovation and a desirable workplace for ambitious tech professionals.

Job Opportunities

Diverse Positions in a Dynamic Field

Nvidia is continuously on the lookout for talented individuals across various domains, including hardware and software engineering, product design, marketing, and sales. Employment opportunities at Nvidia are vast, catering to a wide range of expertise and career aspirations.

Employment in Hardware and Graphics

For those fascinated by the intricacies of hardware and graphics technology, Nvidia offers positions that sit at the forefront of gaming and computing advancements.

Growth in Machine Learning and AI

Nvidia's leadership in AI and machine learning has created numerous vacancies for specialists eager to contribute to groundbreaking projects.

Recruitment in Computer Science

With the constant demand for innovation, Nvidia's recruitment efforts focus on computer science experts capable of pushing the boundaries of what's possible.

Internship Program

Opening Doors to Future Innovators

Nvidia's internship program is designed to nurture the next generation of technology leaders, offering hands-on experience in a culture that celebrates creativity and teamwork.

Benefits and Culture

Interns at Nvidia enjoy a plethora of benefits, from competitive stipends to mentorship opportunities, all within an environment that values growth and learning.

Opportunities for Students

Whether you're an undergraduate, a master's student, or a Ph.D. candidate, Nvidia's internships provide a real-world glimpse into the tech industry, offering valuable experience in various technology fields.

Pathways to Full-Time Employment

Many interns have transitioned into full-time positions, marking the start of successful careers at Nvidia. The internship program is more than a stepping stone into the company; it’s an investment in the professional development of interns. The goal is to ensure that interns are well-equipped for future challenges.

Nvidia Careers: More Than Just a Job

Nvidia offers more than just a job to its employees; it provides a front-row seat on the journey into the future of technology. Nvidia stands as a pillar of innovation with its vast opportunities in hardware, graphics, gaming, machine learning, and computer science. Nvidia careers serve as a launching pad for talented workers who aim to redefine the technological landscape. Whether through full-time positions or internships, joining Nvidia means contributing to a legacy of breakthroughs and becoming part of a global community dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what's possible.
Learn more about NVIDIA Corporation
Size
22,473 employees
Market Cap
$350.4 billion
Industry
Net Income
$4.3 billion
Founded
1993
5 Year Trend
+31.3%
Revenue
$16.6 billion
NASDAQ

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