NVIDIA Corporation

Senior AI Architect, Foundation Models and SoC Co-Design - Autonomous Vehicles

NVIDIA Corporation • $208K — $327K *
Santa Clara, CA 95051In-Person
Transportation
11 - 15 years of experience
1 month ago
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • MS, PhD, or equivalent experience in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Machine Learning, Robotics, or related field.
  • 12+ years of experience in AI/ML systems, deep learning architecture, or hardware/software co-design.
  • Deep expertise in modern AI architectures and large-scale model systems.
  • Experience mapping AI workloads onto heterogeneous compute architectures including GPUs, CPUs, NPUs/DLAs, DSPs, and memory subsystems.
  • Solid understanding of distributed training systems, scaling laws, and inference optimization techniques.
  • Experience with model optimization methods such as quantization, sparsity, pruning, distillation, and memory-efficient inference.
  • Understanding of performance profiling, systems bottleneck analysis, and workload characterization.

Responsibilities

  • Research emerging AI model architectures for the future autonomous vehicle stack.
  • Drive hardware-software co-design across next-gen AI workloads and NVIDIA embedded SoCs.
  • Analyze compute, memory, bandwidth, and latency characteristics of advanced AI architectures.
  • Develop insights to influence NVIDIA's silicon and system-level design decisions.
  • Prototype and evaluate emerging models on NVIDIA DRIVE and embedded AI platforms.
  • Partner closely with various teams to align roadmap and platform strategy.
  • Evaluate trade-offs in latency, throughput, power efficiency, safety, and real-time constraints.

Benefits

  • Equity participation options.
  • Comprehensive healthcare benefits.
  • Flexible working arrangements.
  • Professional development opportunities.
Full Job Description
We are looking for a Senior AI Architect to help define the next generation of AI model paradigms for autonomous vehicles and shape how those models co-evolve with NVIDIA's future embedded SoC architectures. This is a highly strategic role operating at the intersection of frontier AI research, hardware architecture, systems optimization, and autonomous driving. You will work with world-class AI researchers, silicon architects, and AV platform teams to identify the AI workloads that will define the next decade - and ensure NVIDIA platforms are architected to lead them.

What You'll Be Doing:
  • Research and forecast emerging AI model architectures that are expected to shape the future autonomous vehicle stack, including Vision-Language-Action (VLA) models, Multimodal foundation models and more.
  • Drive hardware-software co-design across next-generation AI workloads and NVIDIA embedded SoCs, including GPU, CPU, DLA, memory hierarchy, interconnects, and accelerator subsystems.
  • Analyze compute, memory, bandwidth, and latency characteristics of sophisticated AI architectures such as transformers, diffusion models, or MoE systems
  • Develop architectural insights and influence future NVIDIA silicon, IP, and system-level design decisions through deep workload characterization and performance analysis.
  • Prototype and evaluate emerging model paradigms on NVIDIA DRIVE and embedded AI platforms to validate scalability, efficiency, and deployment feasibility.
  • Partner closely with AI research, autonomous driving software, compiler, runtime, and hardware architecture teams to align long-term roadmap and platform strategy.
  • Evaluate tradeoffs across latency, throughput, power efficiency, safety, and real-time constraints in production AV systems.
  • Define benchmarking methodologies and evaluation metrics for next-generation AV AI systems, including robustness, safety, calibration, and edge-case performance.


What We Need To See:
  • MS, PhD, or equivalent experience in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Machine Learning, Robotics, or related field.
  • 12+ years of experience in AI/ML systems, deep learning architecture, or hardware/software co-design.
  • Deep expertise in modern AI architectures and large-scale model systems
  • Experience mapping AI workloads onto heterogeneous compute architectures including GPUs, CPUs, NPUs/DLAs, DSPs, and memory subsystems.
  • Solid understanding of distributed training systems, scaling laws, and inference optimization techniques.
  • Experience with model optimization methods such as quantization, sparsity, pruning, distillation, and memory-efficient inference.
  • Understanding of performance profiling, systems bottleneck analysis, and workload characterization.


Ways To Stand Out From The Crowd:
  • Experience with autonomous vehicle or robotics stacks including perception, planning, prediction, or control.
  • Deep familiarity with NVIDIA platforms such as DRIVE™, Jetson™, CUDA®, TensorRT™, Triton, or TensorRT-LLM.
  • Experience influencing silicon architecture or collaborating directly with hardware design teams.
  • Expertise in sophisticated AI efficiency techniques (e.g. FP8/FP4 inference, Mixture-of-Experts routing, Streaming attention and KV-cache optimization)
  • Strong understanding of multimodal fusion across camera, lidar, radar, HD maps, and language inputs.


Your base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and the pay of employees in similar positions. The base salary range is 208,000 USD - 327,750 USD.

You will also be eligible for equity and benefits.

Applications for this job will be accepted at least until June 5, 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
Manufacturing & Automotive
Net Income
$4.3 billion
Founded
1993
5 Year Trend
+31.3%
Revenue
$16.6 billion
NASDAQ
NVDA
* Ladders Estimates

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