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Senior Engineer, SoC HAL

Amazon

Cupertino, CAJob$193–262K/yrSeen todaySeen in employer's feed today

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At a glance

Compensation
$193–262K/yr
Location
Cupertino, CA
Work Authorization
Not specified

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Job overview

Annapurna Labs is hiring a senior engineer to own the architecture of the Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) for custom silicon used in AWS machine learning servers. The role spans driver-stack design, hardware/software co-design, testing and deployment, and technical leadership across hardware, firmware, and system-software teams. It can be based in Cupertino, California, or Austin, Texas; no machine learning background is required.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

ProgrammingSystem ArchitectureSoftware Development LifecycleMentoringTechnical LeadershipModern C++Object-Oriented DesignComputer ArchitectureOperating SystemsParallel ComputingHardware/Software Co-DesignHardware-in-the-Loop TestingPCIeHBMDDR MemoryUCIeDMA EnginesChip Boot and ResetDevice DriversHAL DevelopmentLow-Level Software

Qualifications

5+ Years Programming Experience5+ Years Architecture Experience5+ Years Software Development LifecycleBachelor's in Computer Science or Equivalent

Benefits

Medical Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
401(k) Match
Paid Time Off
Parental Leave

Full job description

Description

Annapurna Labs builds the custom silicon at the heart of AWS machine learning servers, and we are hiring a senior engineer to own the architecture of the Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) that brings these chips to life. If you love working where hardware meets software, writing the code that boots, configures, and debugs some of the largest custom silicon in the world, this is your team.

As a Software Development Engineer III on the SoC HAL team, you will set the software architecture for the driver stack across multiple hardware blocks and chip generations, partner directly with the hardware designers who build the silicon, and raise the engineering bar for a small, fast-moving team inside a large organization. No machine learning background is required (you will pick up ML concepts from colleagues if you want to). This role can be based in Cupertino, CA or Austin, TX.

Key job responsibilities

  • Own the design and end-to-end implementation of the HAL/driver software architecture for new chips, including the abstractions, interfaces, and patterns the rest of the team builds against.

  • Apply hardware/software co-design principles, partnering early with RTL designers and design verification engineers to shape the manageability and debuggability of the silicon before tape-out.

  • Deliver and maintain HAL blocks across the stack (for example PCIe, DDR / HBM memory, DMA, system fabric, interrupt controllers, and boot / firmware), and support prior chips with feature additions and bug fixes.

  • Set the standard for how the team tests and continuously deploys the software stack to internal customers, including pre-silicon and hardware-in-the-loop flows.

  • Make durable, well-reasoned technical tradeoffs and drive cross-team decisions that span hardware, firmware, and higher-layer system software.

  • Mentor and coach other engineers, lead design and code reviews, and act as a technical lead for architecture and engineering best practices.

A day in the life

A typical day moves between writing and reviewing C++ for the HAL, working through a hardware interface question with an RTL or design verification engineer, and shaping the architecture for a block still being designed. You might debug a failure spanning software and silicon, then define the abstractions a new chip will need. Your stakeholders are the hardware design, verification, firmware, and system-software teams; your customers are the internal software teams that rely on the HAL to boot, configure, and debug the chip. Problems range from talking to brand-new hardware to scaling the stack across chip generations.

About the team

Annapurna Labs designs and deploys some of the largest custom silicon in the world, including the Trainium and Inferentia machine learning accelerators. Our SoC HAL team builds the low-level software that boots, configures, and manages these chips, sitting between the hardware and the system software that runs the server. We are a small team that works closely with hardware, holds a high engineering bar, and gives engineers real ownership to shape the architecture they build. Split between Cupertino, CA and Austin, TX with no site preference, we value mentorship, clear written design, and software that outlasts any single chip.

Basic Qualifications

  • 5+ years of programming with at least one software programming language experience

  • 5+ years of leading design or architecture (design patterns, reliability and scaling) of new and existing systems experience

  • 5+ years of full software development life cycle, including coding standards, code reviews, source control management, build processes, testing, and operations experience

  • Experience as a mentor, tech lead or leading an engineering team

  • Experience with modern C++ programming including object-oriented design.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in computer science or equivalent

  • Knowledge of computer architecture, operating systems, and parallel computing

  • Experience in hardware/software co-design

  • Experience with hardware-in-the-loop testing

  • Expertise in one or more of PCIe, HBM or DDR memory, UCIe, DMA engines, chip boot and reset sequences

  • Experience defining software architecture across multiple components or teams

  • Experience developing device drivers, HAL, or other low-level software that directly interacts with hardware

Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.

Los Angeles County applicants: Job duties for this position include: work safely and cooperatively with other employees, supervisors, and staff; adhere to standards of excellence despite stressful conditions; communicate effectively and respectfully with employees, supervisors, and staff to ensure exceptional customer service; and follow all federal, state, and local laws and Company policies. Criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship with some of the material job duties of this position. These include the duties and responsibilities listed above, as well as the abilities to adhere to company policies, exercise sound judgment, effectively manage stress and work safely and respectfully with others, exhibit trustworthiness and professionalism, and safeguard business operations and the Company’s reputation. Pursuant to the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you’re applying in isn’t listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.

The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including 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, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits .

USA, CA, Cupertino - 193,300.00 - 261,500.00 USD annually

USA, TX, Austin - 168,100.00 - 227,400.00 USD annually

How this job compares

Set against the 41,980 open Software Engineer jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 5, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$193–262K/yr
  • California median$165–246K/yr7,809 salary ranges
  • US median$135–218K/yr33,365 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $227K, is 11% above the California median midpoint ($205K) — in the middle half of Software Engineer salary ranges in California.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 9,727 open Software Engineer jobs in California and 41,980 across the US. 8% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in California
Experience
This posting asks for at least 5 years of experience; Software Engineer postings that state a minimum ask for 5 years at the median (34,185 postings).
Education
13,985 of the 41,980 open Software Engineer jobs (33%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 5, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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