---
title: 'Director of ASIC Design Verification at SambaNova Systems'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/director-of-asic-design-verification-sambanova-systems-san-jose-3x5xyc4sjzyk'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-13'
---

# Director of ASIC Design Verification at SambaNova Systems

- **Company:** SambaNova Systems
- **Location:** San Jose, CA
- **Compensation:** $270k–$340k
- **Posted:** 2026-08-19
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-13
- **Apply:** https://sambanova.ai/sambanova-available-positions/?gh_jid=6145376004

## Job description

SambaNova is a leader in next-generation AI infrastructure, delivering a full-stack inference platform for customers worldwide. At the core of SambaNova's technology is the RDU (Reconfigurable Dataflow Unit) — a chip built on a dataflow architecture rather than the traditional GPU model. Its decode performance is especially strong for agentic workloads like multi-turn agents, code generation, and long-running applications. RDUs are packaged into SambaRack, rack-scale hardware that lets customers deploy state-of-the-art models with better performance, greater energy efficiency, and faster time to value.

## About the team

The DV team verifies SambaNova's RDU chips before they tape out. That covers block, full-chip, and gate-level benches, performance verification, coverage closure, and emulation and FPGA prototyping. When first silicon comes back, the same engineers debug bring-up in the lab.

## About the role

SambaNova Systems is looking for a Director of ASIC Design Verification to own end to end verification for the next generation of our RDU chips. This role asks for genuine depth in verification, not just management of it. You'll be the technical authority on methodology as well as the leader of the team.

You'll set verification architecture and strategy across the full chip and be accountable for pre-silicon quality through tape-out. The work spans block through full-chip and gate-level benches, performance verification, coverage closure, and emulation and FPGA prototyping. You'll be the DV voice in roadmap and tape-out readiness decisions, and your ownership carries into first silicon, supporting functional validation and bring-up debug in the lab.

You'll lead an experienced team of 8-10 engineers, including principal-level engineers who have built and evolved our verification environment across several generations of silicon. That depth is the most valuable thing you inherit. You'll own where the environment goes next, including the decision to change it, and we expect you to arrive with a point of view. You'll also own the team's growth, leveling, and technical bar as our silicon roadmap scales.

## Responsibilities

Own verification through tape-out

- Own pre-silicon functional and performance verification for SambaNova ASICs — quality, coverage closure, and on-time delivery to tape-out
- Define verification architecture, strategy, schedules, and DV environments for complex, high-performance machine learning ASICs
- Serve as the technical authority on verification: arbitrate testbench architecture, set coverage and sign-off criteria, and lead debug on the hardest failures
- Set and defend the DV schedule and own tape-out readiness sign-off, including the trade-off between coverage depth and time to silicon; report risk and readiness to executive staff with a clear point of view, not just a dashboard
- Carry ownership into first silicon — support lab functional validation and bring-up debug, feeding findings back into the pre-silicon environment

Lead and grow the team

- Bring a strong point of view on methodology, and be willing to disagree with the team and with peers when the engineering case supports it
- Own the direction of an established verification environment — understand the reasoning behind it, then decide what to evolve and what to replace
- Lead, coach, and retain principal-level verification engineers; be accountable for their development and continued engagement
- Grow the team toward a multi-workstream org: own staffing requirements, leveling, interview loop design, closing senior candidates, and developing technical leads

Own the methodology

- Own the DV methodology end to end — verification architecture, reuse strategy, and sign-off criteria
- Lead development of test benches, agents, checkers, and stimulus at block, full-chip, system, and gate level
- Drive pre-silicon debug and closure in both functionality and performance; own regression health and root-cause discipline
- Land new DV methodologies and processes, including AI-assisted verification workflows, to improve execution effectiveness and efficiency
- Direct emulation and FPGA prototyping strategy, and own third-party verification IP evaluation and EDA vendor relationships for DV tooling

Partner across the organization

- Partner with architecture, design, and software teams to settle requirements and drive DV planning
- Work with the compiler and runtime teams to map ML application flows into verification, so silicon is validated against real workloads
- Partner with hardware and systems teams on lab validation of first silicon, and represent DV in reviews with physical design, process and quality, and product

Required qualifications

- BS in EE, CS, or CE with 12+ years (or equivalent) of industry experience in ASIC design verification
- 5+ years managing design verification engineers, including hiring and performance management, with experience leading senior and principal-level engineers
- Track record of inheriting an established verification environment and evolving it with the team rather than replacing it wholesale
- Deep, current technical expertise in verification — able to own methodology, arbitrate testbench architecture, and personally lead debug on the hardest pre-silicon failures
- Full-cycle DV from planning through tape-out and into production silicon on at least one complex ASIC or large subsystem
- Deep hands-on foundation in SystemVerilog, SVA, Python, and industry verification methodologies such as UVM, OVM, or VMM
- Experience through silicon bring-up, including lab functional validation and debugging first-silicon issues to root cause
- Working knowledge of machine learning SoCs or microprocessors (CPU/GPU) and modern computer architecture
- Excellent communication skills and a track record of building consensus among stakeholders and team members

## Preferred qualifications

- MS or PhD in EECS with 15+ years of experience in ASIC design verification
- Multiple large-scale, high-impact chips led to silicon
- Scaling a DV team through a step change in headcount or chip complexity
- Owning or directing post-silicon functional validation in a lab environment
- Deep understanding of performance verification methodology
- High-performance interconnect protocols (PCIe, Ethernet) and memory subsystems
- Advanced TSMC nodes and modern multi-die or chiplet verification challenges
- Emulation and FPGA prototyping platforms
- Managing cross-site or distributed teams
- Fluency with Claude or other AI tools applied to verification and flow development

Base Salary Range:

Base Pay Range $270,000—$340,000 USD

Submission Guidelines Please note that in order to be considered an applicant for any position at SambaNova Systems, you must submit an application form for each position for which you believe you are qualified.

## EEO Policy

SambaNova Systems is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard basis of age (40 and over), color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, national origin/ancestry, race, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding), sexual orientation, and any other applicable status protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Benefits Summary for US-Based, Full-Time Employment Positions SambaNova offers a competitive total rewards package, including the base salary, plus equity and benefits. We cover 95% premium coverage for employee medical insurance, and 77% premium coverage for dependents and offer a Health Savings Account (HSA) with employer contribution. We also offer Dental, Vision, Short/Long term Disability, Basic Life, Voluntary Life, and AD&D insurance plans in addition to Flexible Spending Account (FSA) options like Health Care, Limited Purpose, and Dependent Care. Our library of well-being benefits available to you and your dependents includes a full subscription to Headspace, Gympass+ membership with access to physical gyms, One Medical membership, counseling services with an Employee Assistance Program, and much more.

## About SambaNova Systems

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: SambaNova Systems provides a full-stack AI platform, from specialized Reconfigurable Dataflow Unit (RDU) chips to an agentic AI inference platform, designed for enterprises and governments.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series E)
- **Headquarters**: San Jose, California, USA
- **Founded**: 2017
- **Founders**: Rodrigo Liang (Co-founder & CEO), Kunle Olukotun (Co-founder & Chief Technologist)

## Core Business
- **Primary Industry**: Artificial Intelligence / Enterprise AI Infrastructure
- **Target Customers**: Developers, large enterprises, government agencies, and data centers (B2B)
- **Mission Statement**: To be the most efficient and adaptable AI platform on the planet, empowering enterprises to control the trajectory of their data and AI future.

## Products & Services
- **SambaNova Suite**: The company's core product, a fully integrated AI platform that includes hardware, software, and models. It provides OpenAI-compatible APIs for inference.
- **SambaRack (SN40 & SN50)**: A state-of-the-art, rack-scale system optimized for AI inference. The SN50 is the fifth-generation system designed for fast agentic inference with high energy efficiency (average of 10 kWh for SN40).
- **Reconfigurable Dataflow Unit (RDU)**: A custom-designed AI chip (SN40L, SN50) with a unique three-tier memory architecture that delivers high speed and throughput for large models while using less power than traditional GPUs.
- **SambaOrchestrator**: A management tool for deploying, monitoring, and auto-scaling AI models across data centers.
- **Sovereign AI Platform**: An offering for governments and enterprises to keep data secure and governed while enabling business teams to use AI.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed (Private company).
- **Key Metric**: Total funding of **$1.484B** (raised over multiple rounds, including a $350M Series E in early 2026).
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Intel, GV (Google Ventures), BlackRock, Redline Capital Management, Atlantic Bridge Capital.
- **Growth Signals**: 
    - Raised a $350M Series E in early 2026.
    - A launch partner for Meta's Llama 4 series.
    - First platform to support all three variants of Llama 3.1 (8B, 70B, and 405B).
    - Has filed 313 patents related to parallel computing, computer memory, and instruction processing.
    - Customers include Blackbox and Texas Advanced Computing Center.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Full-Stack Integration**: Unlike many competitors, SambaNova controls the entire AI stack from the chip (RDU) to the software and models, allowing for deep optimization.
- **Efficiency**: The RDU's dataflow architecture is designed for high performance with significantly lower power consumption (best tokens per watt), a key differentiator for scaling AI.
- **Open-Source Focus**: The company is a strong supporter of open-source AI models, being a launch partner for major releases like Meta's Llama 4.

## Strategic Focus
- **Agentic AI**: The company is heavily focused on enabling complex, multi-step agentic AI workflows, with the SN50 chip and SambaOrchestrator built for this purpose.
- **Sovereign AI**: Targeting government and enterprise clients who need secure, on-premises or private cloud AI solutions.
- **Scaling Inference**: Prioritizing high-speed, low-latency inference for the largest open-source models (e.g., DeepSeek, Llama) at scale.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Described as a "smart and motivated team" that values "talent first," "innovation that impacts," and "trust and integrity." The company emphasizes collaboration across departments and access to founders.
- **Work Environment**: Offers flexible working hours and a hybrid/remote-friendly policy (Flexible PTO in the U.S.).
- **Notable Perks**: 
    - Flexible PTO
    - Parental Leave
    - Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits
    - 401k/Pensions
    - Gym Access
    - Mentorship and buddy programs
    - Internship programs
- **Engineering Culture**: A deep-tech environment where you work on cutting-edge AI hardware (RDUs) and software, pushing the boundaries of AI performance.

## Sources
1. [SambaNova.ai](https://sambanova.ai/)
2. [SambaNova About Us](https://sambanova.ai/company/about)
3. [SambaNova Careers](https://sambanova.ai/company/careers)
4. [SambaNova Job Openings](https://sambanova.ai/company/careers/job-openings)
5. [CB Insights Profile](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/sambanova-systems)

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