--- title: 'Principal Product Applications Engineer - Ethernet at Astera Labs' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/principal-product-applications-engineer-ethernet-astera-labs-san-jose-california-zsj8qhqh3jb1' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-11' --- # Principal Product Applications Engineer - Ethernet at Astera Labs - **Company:** Astera Labs - **Location:** San Jose California, United States - **Posted:** 2026-05-20 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-11 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/asteralabs/jobs/4697283005 ## Job description Astera Labs (NASDAQ: ALAB) provides rack-scale AI infrastructure through purpose-built connectivity solutions. By collaborating with hyperscalers and ecosystem partners, Astera Labs enables organizations to unlock the full potential of modern AI. Astera Labs’ Intelligent Connectivity Platform integrates CXL®, Ethernet, NVLink, PCIe®, and UALink™ semiconductor-based technologies with the company’s COSMOS software suite to unify diverse components into cohesive, flexible systems that deliver end-to-end scale-up, and scale-out connectivity. The company’s custom connectivity solutions business complements its standards-based portfolio, enabling customers to deploy tailored architectures to meet their unique infrastructure requirements. Discover more at [www.asteralabs.com](http://www.asteralabs.com/). ## Role Overview Astera Labs is seeking a Principal Product Applications Engineer to join our Taurus Ethernet Smart Cable Modules team and drive customer success at the forefront of AI infrastructure connectivity. As data centers scale to meet explosive AI workload demands, our Taurus products are enabling the high-bandwidth, low-latency Ethernet fabric connections that power next-generation GPU clusters and disaggregated computing architectures. In this role, you'll be the technical expert customers rely on to successfully deploy Taurus Ethernet solutions in their most demanding environments. You'll work hands-on with hyperscalers, OEMs, and AI system builders to debug complex physical layer challenges, deliver technical enablement, and ensure seamless product integration. Your customer insights will directly influence how we evolve our products to meet the market's most pressing connectivity needs. This is a unique opportunity to combine deep Ethernet and physical layer expertise with meaningful customer impact at a hyper-growth company defining the future of AI connectivity. You'll collaborate across engineering, sales, and product teams while building relationships with the world's most innovative technology companies. ## Key Responsibilities - Customer Technical Engagement - Serve as the primary technical resource for customers evaluating and deploying Taurus Ethernet Smart Cable Modules - Deliver technical presentations, product training, and hands-on demonstrations to customer engineering teams - Build trusted relationships with key accounts and drive successful product adoption - System-Level Debug & Validation Support - Lead root cause analysis and debugging of complex Ethernet physical layer and link issues in customer systems - Support customer lab bring-up, characterization, and system validation activities - Develop and execute test plans to reproduce and resolve customer-reported issues - Technical Documentation & Enablement - Create application notes, integration guides, and best practices documentation for Ethernet system implementation - Develop technical collateral that accelerates customer time-to-deployment - Contribute to product documentation including datasheets and user guides - Cross-Functional Collaboration - Partner with product management and engineering to translate customer feedback into product requirements - Support sales teams with technical expertise during pre-sales and post-sales engagements - Represent voice of the customer in internal roadmap discussions and feature prioritization - Willingness to travel for work within US and to Asia. ## Basic Qualifications - Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field - 8+ years of experience in applications engineering, technical support, or system engineering roles - Strong understanding of Ethernet physical layer specifications (100G/200G/400G/800G) - Hands-on experience with lab equipment including oscilloscopes, protocol analyzers, and BER test tools - Experience debugging high-speed serial interfaces and signal integrity challenges - Excellent written and verbal communication skills with ability to convey complex technical concepts ## Preferred Qualifications - Experience with optical modules, active cables, or similar high-speed connectivity components - Familiarity with AI/ML system architectures, GPU clusters, or data center networking - Background in signal integrity analysis and simulation - Scripting proficiency (Python, TCL) for test automation and data analysis - Prior experience working with hyperscale or enterprise data center customers - Knowledge of Ethernet consortium specifications and industry standards Salary range is $158,400 to $230,000 depending on experience, level, and business need. This role may be eligible for discretionary bonus, incentives and benefits. We know that creativity and innovation happen more often when teams include diverse ideas, backgrounds, and experiences, and we actively encourage everyone with relevant experience to apply, including people of color, LGBTQ+ and non-binary people, veterans, parents, and individuals with disabilities. ## About Astera Labs ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Astera Labs designs and delivers semiconductor-based connectivity solutions purpose-built to unleash the full potential of cloud and AI infrastructure. - **Entity Type**: Public (Nasdaq: ALAB) - **Headquarters**: Santa Clara, California, United States - **Founded**: 2017 - **Founders**: Jitendra Mohan, Sanjay Gajendra, Casey Morrison ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Semiconductor manufacturing / AI infrastructure connectivity - **Target customers**: B2B, primarily hyperscale cloud providers and system OEMs (e.g., NVIDIA, AMD, Intel) - **Mission statement**: To innovate, design, and deliver semiconductor-based connectivity solutions that are purpose-built to unleash the full potential of cloud and AI infrastructure. ## Products & Services - **Aries PCIe®/CXL™ Smart DSP Retimers**: Silicon ICs, boards, and modules that digitally recover degraded high-speed signals to extend reach and enable higher PCIe/CXL data bandwidth between compute, storage, and network controllers. - **Taurus Ethernet Smart Cable Modules™**: Hardware modules that increase network connectivity bandwidth between servers and switches over copper media, removing rack-level Ethernet bottlenecks. - **Leo CXL Memory Connectivity Controllers**: ICs and boards that expand, share, and pool DRAM memory to overcome processor memory bandwidth bottlenecks for AI workloads. - **Scorpio Smart Fabric Switches**: A family of PCIe 6 fabric switches ranging from 32 to 320 lanes, including the new 320-lane Scorpio X-Series Fabric Switch for AI scale-up fabrics. - **COSMOS Software Suite**: A connectivity system management and optimization software that enables configuration, monitoring, troubleshooting, and predictive analytics for all Astera Labs products. ## Market Standing - **Market Cap**: ~$11.6 billion (as of mid-2026) - **Key Metric - Revenue**: $35 million (annual, reported) - **Key Metric - Operating Income**: $173.4 million (2025) - **Key Metric - Net Income**: $219.1 million (2025) - **Total Funding**: ~$810.75 million (pre-IPO), with Series C ($50M, led by Fidelity) and Series D ($150M, led by Fidelity) - **IPO Date**: March 20, 2024 - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Fidelity, NVIDIA, Advanced Micro Devices, Intel, major hyperscalers - **Growth Signals**: 92% YoY headcount growth (675 employees); 144 active job postings (+260% YoY); expanded Taiwan operations with a new Cloud-Scale Interop Lab in 2026; shipping millions of devices across all major hyperscalers; 300+ design wins. ## Competitive Advantages - **First-to-market innovation**: Pioneered first-to-market PCIe, Ethernet, and CXL connectivity products. - **Patented software-defined platform approach**: Differentiates via a platform that combines silicon hardware with embedded COSMOS software, enabling flexibility, observability, and predictive analytics. - **Deep hyperscaler relationships**: Trusted partner to the world’s largest cloud providers, with proven interoperability validated in their own Cloud-Scale Interop Lab. - **Broad product portfolio**: Covers PCIe retimers, Ethernet cable modules, CXL memory controllers, and fabric switches—addressing the full spectrum of AI connectivity bottlenecks. - **Strong IP and engineering talent**: 443 employees in technical roles; talent sourced from Intel (65), Marvell (37), Texas Instruments (40), AMD (22), and NVIDIA. ## Strategic Focus - **Scaling AI infrastructure**: Expanding product portfolio and global footprint (12 countries) to meet surging demand for rack-scale AI. - **Open standards leadership**: All products are grounded in open standards (PCIe, CXL, Ethernet), ensuring interoperability and broad adoption. - **Taiwan expansion**: Growing engineering presence and Interop Lab in Taiwan to strengthen integration with leading AI platform providers and system manufacturers. - **Continued innovation**: Shipping the new 320-lane Scorpio X-Series Fabric Switch and expanding the COSMOS software suite for fleet-level management and optimization. ## Why Work Here - **Culture**: Described as collaborative, ownership-driven, and focused on solving complex problems together. The company emphasizes diversity and inclusion as drivers of creativity and innovation. - **Growth**: Astera Labs supports non-linear career growth—employees can deepen expertise (“scale up”) or broaden into new areas (“scale out”). 92% YoY headcount growth signals rapid expansion and opportunity. - **Remote/Hybrid**: Not explicitly stated, but global operations across 12 countries (including India, Canada, Israel, Taiwan, Vietnam) suggest a flexible, distributed work model. - **Benefits**: Competitive medical, dental, and vision plans; flexible time off; family planning and parental leave; 401K and retirement plans. - **Engineering culture**: Strong focus on cutting-edge semiconductor and AI infrastructure technology. High concentration of senior (24%) and specialist (19%) talent. Active internship and new graduate programs. - **Employee ratings**: 4.5/5.0 on LinkedIn (124 reviews), with high marks for compensation (4.6), culture (4.4), and career development (4.4). ## Sources 1. [Astera Labs Careers Page](https://www.asteralabs.com/careers/) 2. [Astera Labs Official Website](https://www.asteralabs.com/) 3. [Astera Labs LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/astera-labs) 4. [Astera Labs Products Page](https://www.asteralabs.com/products/) 5. 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