Principal Software Engineer, Debug Tools

Invent the future with us. Ampere is a semiconductor design company for a new era, leading the future of computing with an innovative approach to CPU design focused on high-performance, energy efficient AI compute. As a pioneer in the new frontier of energy efficient high-performance computing, Ampere is part of the Softbank Group of companies driving sustainable computing for AI, Cloud, and edge applications.

Join us at Ampere and work alongside a passionate and growing team – we’d love to have you apply!

Ampere is a semiconductor design company for a new era, leading the future of computing with an innovative approach to CPU design focused on high-performance, energy efficient AI compute. As a pioneer in the new frontier of energy efficient high-performance computing, Ampere is part of the Softbank Group of companies driving sustainable computing for AI, Cloud, and edge applications. Join us at Ampere and work alongside a passionate and growing team – we’d love to have you apply!

As a core member of the Ampere Debug Tools team, you will be responsible for the architecture, design, and development of Debug Tools solutions for the next generation of Ampere products. In this role, you will be at the forefront of AI innovation. The Debug Tools Team is part of the Ampere Software Team. Our mission is to develop a comprehensive debug strategy and roadmap for internal debug capabilities, as well as to develop and deploy debug solutions for all internal and external Ampere Datacenter SoC users.

• Architect, design, develop, and deploy software-based Debug Tools for custom 64-bit Armv9 SoC and other processors.
• Invent new debug tools and techniques for future products and technologies.
• Influence the architecture and design team decisions with knowledge of internal and external debug tools on Ampere SoCs.
• Contribute to software architecture and design documents, application notes, and other software product documentation.
• Develop tooling for advanced debugging techniques such as BMC remote debug, instruction trace, bus trace, array dump, scan dump, and ATE bootstrapping. Develop open‑source JTAG and self‑hosted trace and debugger software for internal and external use in debugging Ampere microprocessors.
• Develop TRACE
  32 and OpenOCD utilities for internal and external use in debugging Ampere microprocessors.
• Perform pre-silicon bring‑up of debug software on software simulators and hardware emulation platforms.
• Collaborate with hardware design, architecture, post‑silicon validation, and platform AE teams, as necessary, to resolve critical customer issues.

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science with 8 years of related experience; or Master’s degree with 6 years.
• Previous experience designing, developing, and deploying software‑based Debug Tools.
• Proficiency with Arm® architecture and ecosystem, including Armv8‑a/v9‑a and Armv7‑m processor architectures, Arm Debug Interface Architecture, Arm Core Sight™ Architecture, Arm AMBA® APB, AXI, AHB, and CHI protocols.
• Proficiency in C/C++, Python, and Bash programming.
• Experience using TRACE
  32 Power View, OpenOCD, and GDB debuggers.
• Experience with instruction trace, bus trace, scan dumps, array dumps, and crash capture.
• Experience with version control tools such as git, and software best practices.
• Strong analytical, debugging, and testing methodology skills.
• Proven ability to own problems and drive them to a resolution.
• Recommended experience with system software debugging, tracing, and analysis tools such as perf, ftrace, etc.

At Ampere we believe in taking care of our employees and providing a competitive total rewards package that includes base pay, cash long‑term incentive, and comprehensive benefits. The full base pay range for this role is between $140,500 and $234,500, except in the San Francisco Bay Area where the range is between $152,500 and $254,000.

Our benefits include health, wellness, and financial programs that support employees through every stage of life.

• Premium medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, as well as income protection and a 401(k) retirement plan, so that you can feel secure in your health and financial future.
• Unlimited flextime and 10+ paid holidays to embrace a healthy work‑life balance.
• A variety of healthy snacks, energizing espresso, and refreshing drinks to keep you fueled and focused throughout the day.

Ampere is an inclusive and equal opportunity employer and welcomes applicants from all backgrounds. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, citizenship, religion, age, veteran and/or military status, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, physical or mental disability, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law.