Hardware-Software Co-Design Micro-Architecture Researcher

What you will do

The Compute System Architecture (CSA) unit at imec desires to build RISC-V based zetta-scale AI/HPC hardware and software solutions co-designed. We are backed by a broad in-house R&D expertise, creating a new AI computing paradigm that will move the industry forward for many years to come. Designed in tune with advanced silicon geometry, novel communication technology, our architecture provides high-performance AI computing solutions in reliability, security, and power consumption at scale. We analyze emerging usage models, build hardware and software prototypes for data-driven computing hardware capable of zetta-scale performance.

As we expand our research to better optimize computing systems, we are looking for a highly motivated and talented candidate to work on cutting-edge research in the field of hardware-software co-design of micro-architecture. The successful candidate will work in a collaborative team environment, where they will contribute to the design and development of novel hardware and software systems. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in computer engineering, computer science, or a related field and will be passionate about solving complex problems in the domain of hardware-software co-design.

In this role you will:

• Conduct research on hardware-software co-design, including the design and implementation of novel algorithms and architectures.
• Collaborate with team members to design and develop hardware and software systems as well as contribute to architecture modelling.
• Implement and test prototypes of hardware and software systems.
• Analyze and evaluate the performance of hardware and software systems.

What we do for you

We offer you the opportunity to join one of the world’s premier research centers in nanotechnology at its headquarters in Leuven, Belgium. With your talent, passion and expertise, you’ll become part of a team that makes the impossible possible. Together, we shape the technology that will determine the society of tomorrow.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and proud of our open, multicultural, and informal working environment with ample possibilities to take initiative and show responsibility. In everything we do, your future colleagues are guided by the imec values of passion, excellence, connectedness, and integrity. We commit to supporting and guiding you in this process, not only with words but also with tangible actions. Through imec.academy, 'our corporate university', we actively invest in your development to further your technical and personal growth. 

We are aware that your valuable contribution makes imec a top player in its field. Your energy and commitment are therefore appreciated by means of a market appropriate salary with many fringe benefits. 

Who you are

• MS or PhD degree in computer engineering or computer science (with at least 3 year experience for MS) with a background in micro-architecture design.
• Strong programming skills in languages such as C/C++, Python, and Verilog/VHDL.
• Experience with hardware description languages (HDL) and hardware design tools (e.g., Xilinx Vivado, Altera Quartus)
• Experience with software design tools (e.g., SystemC, Gem5, SST)

• Knowledge of computer architecture and digital design
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• The ability to work collaboratively in a team environment

Preferred qualifications: We believe that an ideal candidate for this role would have one or more of the following skills and/or experience to excel in their role.

• Strong experience with RISC-V architecture and familiarity with open-source hardware design frameworks.
• Strong knowledge of CPU microarchitecture, including pipelining, caching, and memory hierarchy.
• Experience with GPGPU programming and parallel computing using CUDA or OpenCL.
• Proficiency in mapping algorithms to hardware for high-performance computing.

• Familiarity with computer vision and machine learning algorithms, and their implementation on hardware.
• Experience with RTL design and verification using Verilog or VHDL.
• Knowledge of FPGA and ASIC design and implementation.
• Experience with high-level synthesis tools such as Vivado HLS.