Senior Soc Product Architect Physical AI Platforms

NVIDIA NVIDIA · Semiconductors · Santa Clara, CA

This role focuses on architecting physical AI platforms for automotive and robotics, specifically defining the SoC architecture for embedded computer vision and AI systems. The individual will analyze use cases, map requirements to hardware/software features, define system requirements, and drive recommendations into product roadmaps. The role involves deep benchmarking, customer interaction, technical leadership, and mentorship, with a strong emphasis on functional safety (ISO 26262, SOTIF).

What you'd actually do

  1. Lead the end-to-end SOC product architecture for physical AI systems from sensors through actuation and in-vehicle/edge/cloud integration.
  2. Perform detailed use-case and workload analysis; map requirements into new hardware features and software capabilities needed to close gaps.
  3. Define system requirements and platform configurations, and drive recommendations into the SoC roadmap and product software roadmap.
  4. Lead deep benchmarking and competitive analysis of physical AI systems, including performance, perf/W, cost, and scalability, to advise product positioning and customer proposals.
  5. Present deeply technical content to customers and internal leadership, articulating architectural tradeoffs, safety concepts, and roadmap proposals to both expert and non-expert audiences.

Skills

Required

  • MS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field, or equivalent experience
  • 25+ years of relevant experience in ADAS/autonomous driving, automotive embedded systems, humanoid robotics, or closely related physical AI domains
  • Proven experience architecting embedded SoC- or GPU-based platforms for automotive perception and AD
  • Hands-on familiarity with modern LLMs, VLMs, and VLAs for physical AI
  • Demonstrated experience applying ISO 26262 functional safety and SOTIF ISO/PAS 21448 system safety to real programs
  • Extensive experience influencing hardware and software roadmaps and driving decisions across architecture, silicon design, software, safety, and product teams.

Nice to have

  • Direct experience with high-performance automotive SoCs, including bring-up and optimization of automated driving stacks
  • Leadership of architectures that use multi-sensor fusion and end-to-end / transformer-based models for world modeling and motion planning in production or advanced development programs
  • Deep involvement in ADAS/AD safety and regulatory frameworks, such as Euro NCAP, NCAP protocols, or OEM-specific safety concepts for L2–L4 systems
  • Prior role as a visible technical evangelist for physical AI

What the JD emphasized

  • significant time as a system or product architect for production automotive platforms
  • Proven experience architecting embedded SoC- or GPU-based platforms for automotive perception and AD
  • Hands-on familiarity with modern LLMs, VLMs, and VLAs for physical AI
  • Demonstrated experience applying ISO 26262 functional safety and SOTIF ISO/PAS 21448 system safety to real programs
  • Extensive experience influencing hardware and software roadmaps and driving decisions across architecture, silicon design, software, safety, and product teams.

Other signals

  • architecting embedded SoC- or GPU-based platforms for automotive perception and AD
  • mapping modern convolutional and transformer-based neural networks across GPU/DLA/NPU/ISP and other accelerators
  • Hands-on familiarity with modern LLMs, VLMs, and VLAs for physical AI
  • optimization for embedded inference
  • ISO 26262 functional safety and SOTIF ISO/PAS 21448 system safety