--- title: 'Principal Product Engineer at Graphcore' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/principal-product-engineer-graphcore-bristol-k9m9m0gqxbqs' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-08' --- # Principal Product Engineer at Graphcore - **Company:** Graphcore - **Location:** Bristol, United Kingdom - **Posted:** 2026-05-20 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-08 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/graphcore/jobs/8556007002 ## Job description ## About the job Turn complex manufacturing data into higher yield, stronger quality and better products at scale. As Principal Product Engineer, you will help Graphcore manufacture advanced products with optimised yield, quality and cost. You will guide product performance through launch, production ramp and sustained high volume manufacturing. Your work will influence chip manufacturing, test, PCBA and system level production. You will help teams find the signals that improve reliability, reduce cost and protect quality. You will partner with OSATs, test engineering, manufacturing, quality, data engineering and analytics teams. Together, you will release new products and solve difficult yield, test and manufacturing challenges. This role suits someone who enjoys deep technical ownership and practical impact. You will turn manufacturing data into action across silicon, boards, blades and rack scale systems. The team and culture You will join the Product Test and Diagnosis team within Manufacturing Operations. The team spans Bristol, Cambridge, India, the US and Taiwan, working close to products and production partners. Work happens through direct ownership, technical depth and clear decisions. You will define best practice, challenge assumptions and move quickly when yield or quality needs attention. The team connects silicon, board level assemblies, server blades and rack scale systems. Decisions are grounded in data, engineering judgement and accountability for manufacturing outcomes. ## What we're looking for - Strong semiconductor product engineering, test engineering or manufacturing engineering capability in high volume production - Deep understanding of semiconductor, PCBA and system level manufacturing and testing - Strong statistical analysis skills, including SPC, DOE, regression, hypothesis testing and six sigma methods - Proven ability to analyse and visualise large manufacturing datasets using Python, SQL, JMP or similar tools - Experience driving yield, quality or cost improvements across complex manufacturing processes - Ability to work across test, manufacturing, quality, data and external partner teams with clear technical ownership While we have outlined a set of requirements, we value transferable skills and diverse experiences. If you meet most of our essential criteria, we encourage you to submit an application and showcase how your background makes you a strong candidate. ## Benefits - Flexible working: Balance your work and personal life with greater flexibility - Generous leave: Take time to rest, recharge and enjoy life outside of work - Retirement planning support: Up to 5% matched pension - Phantom equity: Share in Graphcore’s success - Workplace experience: Enjoy thoughtfully designed office spaces for collaboration, with free food and an on-site barista to support your day - Peace of mind protection: Income protection and life assurance to provide financial security for you and your loved ones - Flexible benefits: Tailor your benefits package with a choice of additional options, including private medical insurance and dental cover - Optional benefits: Dental cover, health cash plan, private medical insurance, cycle to work scheme, give as you earn We welcome people from all backgrounds and experiences and are committed to building an inclusive environment where everyone can do their best work. We’re an equal opportunity employer and recognise that everyone brings different strengths and perspectives. If you need any adjustments during the interview process, just let us know - we’re happy to support you. Sponsorship Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship or support visa applications for this role. Join the Team at Graphcore Graphcore is one of the world’s leading innovators in Artificial Intelligence compute. It is developing hardware, software and systems infrastructure that will unlock the next generation of AI breakthroughs and power the widespread adoption of AI solutions across every industry. As part of the SoftBank Group, Graphcore is a member of an elite family of companies responsible for some of the world’s most transformative technologies. Together, they share a bold vision: to enable Artificial Super Intelligence and ensure its benefits are accessible to everyone. Graphcore’s teams are drawn from diverse backgrounds and bring a broad range of skills and perspectives. A melting pot of AI research specialists, silicon designers, software engineers and systems architects, Graphcore brings together deep expertise to solve complex problems and deliver meaningful progress in AI compute. If you want to turn manufacturing insight into better products at scale, we’d love to hear from you. Apply now to help shape product engineering at Graphcore. ## About Graphcore ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Graphcore designs and builds the Intelligence Processing Unit (IPU), a processor purpose-built for machine intelligence, and provides a complete AI compute stack from silicon to software. - **Entity Type**: Private (wholly owned subsidiary of SoftBank Group Corp as of 2025/2026) - **Headquarters**: Bristol, England, UK - **Founded**: 2016 - **Founders**: Nigel Toon and Simon Knowles ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: AI hardware/accelerators, semiconductor design, AI software platform - **Target customers**: Cloud providers (Microsoft Azure), enterprises, AI researchers, hyperscalers - **Mission statement**: “Let innovators create the next breakthroughs in machine intelligence to enhance human potential” ## Products & Services - **[IPU (Intelligence Processing Unit)](https://www.graphcore.ai/)**: A processor designed from the ground up for machine intelligence workloads; uses a massively parallel architecture (MIMD) with fine-grained compute and on-chip memory. - **[IPU-Machine M2000](https://www.graphcore.ai/about)**: Second-generation IPU platform – a 1U server appliance housing 4 MK2 GC200 IPU processors, delivering an 8× performance uplift over the first generation. - **[C2 IPU Accelerator PCIe Card](https://www.graphcore.ai/about)**: PCIe form factor accelerator for server integration, first demonstrated at ICML 2018. - **[Poplar Software Stack](https://www.graphcore.ai/)**: Full SDK and framework integration (PyTorch, TensorFlow) that lets developers target the IPU directly. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Acquired by SoftBank Group Corp (amount undisclosed); prior to acquisition valued at $2.77 B (Series E, lead by Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board). - **Key Metric**: Total funding raised prior to acquisition – over $680 M across Series A through E. - **Notable Investors/Partners**: SoftBank (owner), Microsoft (customer and investor), BMW, Samsung, Dell Technologies, Bosch, Sequoia Capital, Atomico, Fidelity, Baillie Gifford, Ontario Teachers’. - **Growth Signals**: Part of the fast-growing SoftBank AI ecosystem; expanding teams globally (Bristol, London, Cambridge, Gdańsk, Hsinchu, Bengaluru); first customer (Microsoft Azure) live since 2018. ## Competitive Advantages - **First purpose-built AI processor**: The IPU architecture is fundamentally different from GPUs – designed specifically for the sparse, parallel nature of neural network computation. - **Full stack ownership**: Graphcore controls silicon, system hardware, and software (Poplar), enabling tight optimisation across the entire compute chain. - **Cloud + on‑prem availability**: IPUs are available in the cloud on Microsoft Azure and as hardware from Dell, giving customers flexible deployment options. - **Strong IP and ecosystem**: 99+ engineering staff; deep expertise in semiconductor, systems, and AI software, backed by long-term SoftBank investment. ## Strategic Focus - **Scale AI infrastructure**: Delivering key technology into SoftBank’s global AI ecosystem and expanding the IPU platform to meet growing demand for AI compute. - **Expand into new regions**: Opening offices and hiring in India (Bengaluru) and across Europe (Gdańsk, London, Cambridge) to accelerate R&D and customer support. - **Democratise AI**: Continuing to lower the barrier for machine intelligence by providing accessible, high-efficiency hardware and software for innovators worldwide. ## Why Work Here - **Flexible hybrid work**: Employees are expected on-site three days a week, with trust and flexibility to balance work and life. - **Comprehensive benefits**: Unlimited annual leave, private medical insurance (UK), dental & health cash plan, income protection, life assurance, pension matched up to 5%, generous parental leave, and a personal development plan. - **Culture and growth**: ML reading groups, board game socials, book clubs, yoga, running, watersports, team events; strong DE+I initiatives; ambitious but supportive environment. - **Perks**: Free barista‑made coffee, snacks, and wellbeing rooms; cycle‑to‑work scheme; gym membership discount; education/training allowances. - **Purpose-driven work**: Opportunity to shape the future of AI compute and see your contributions used by global innovators. ## Sources 1. [graphcore.ai/about](https://www.graphcore.ai/about) 2. [graphcore.ai/](https://www.graphcore.ai/) 3. [graphcore.ai/careers](https://www.graphcore.ai/careers) 4. [graphcore.ai/jobs](https://www.graphcore.ai/jobs) 5. [builtin.com/company/graphcore](https://builtin.com/company/graphcore) ## Other roles at Graphcore - [Technical Programme Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/technical-programme-manager-graphcore-bristol-tnv81pjcg71q) — Bristol, United Kingdom - [Technology Owner](https://feeny.ai/job/technology-owner-graphcore-bristol-d8detpv2a2gt) — Bristol, United Kingdom - [Staff Silicon Physical Design Engineer - Bengaluru](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-silicon-physical-design-engineer-bengaluru-graphcore-bengaluru-5zwkhyr3ps27) — Bengaluru, India - [Staff Robotics Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-robotics-engineer-graphcore-austin-texas-48zjd6k5bqkd) — Austin Texas, United States - [Staff Engineering Program Support](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-engineering-program-support-graphcore-milpitas-california-hrx7htcx8rkq) — Milpitas California, United States - [Senior Engineering Program Coordinator](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-engineering-program-coordinator-graphcore-milpitas-california-k5rv0zfbxp3p) — Milpitas California, United States - [Staff Engineering Operations Technical Program Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-engineering-operations-technical-program-manager-graphcore-austin-texas-ffy430feqmnr) — Austin Texas, United States - [Principal Network Program Manager, AI Infrastructure](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-network-program-manager-ai-infrastructure-graphcore-milpitas-ta509snr3rw9) — Milpitas California, United States - [Principal Engineering Program Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-engineering-program-manager-graphcore-austin-texas-m5g623168tsj) — Austin Texas, United States - [Staff Hardware Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-hardware-engineer-graphcore-austin-texas-tf5ew0k0z9g8) — Austin Texas, United States