Hardware Architect and Team Lead

About Us : AI compute is hitting a hard physical wall, and memory bottlenecks are throttling the entire industry. Founded in October 2024 and backed by €57M in funding, Vertical Compute is solving this with proprietary Vertical Integrated Memory (VIM™) chiplets, making AI hardware faster, greener, and vastly more scalable. We are an interdisciplinary team transforming breakthrough semiconductor physics into commercial reality.

Why Now : After 18 months of intensive R&D, Vertical Compute has reached a critical inflection point. Our underlying technology is validated, and we have successfully met our core technical milestones. Armed with a proven technical data package and ongoing system studies, we are now shifting from pure R&D to active engagement with global enterprise customers. As we prepare for our next phase of scale and growth starting in 2027, joining us today means taking direct ownership of the hardware foundation that will power the next era of AI compute.

About the role

We are looking for a Hardware Architect and Team Lead with strong hardware architecture expertise to lead the definition, architecture, and execution of our next-generation 3D-integrated chiplet products.

In this role, you will be responsible for architecting and specifying chiplet products developed by Vertical Compute integrated in 3D, ensuring they leverage our proprietary Vertical Integrated Memory (VIM™) technology to address complex AI computation challenges, collaborating closely with the memory design team and the SW Team in charge of the AI application and AI compiler development.
You will own the complete end-to-end hardware engineering lifecycle from architecture definition and specification up to final silicon tape-out and bring-up (architecture, front-end RTL development, verification, DFT, physical implementation, and silicon bring-up), building and leading the internal hardware team. You will coordinate with external design service companies, Research partners and Program Management Office to ensure the smooth running of the project.

Key Responsibilities

• Architecture & Chiplet Specification: Define, architect, and specify 3D-integrated chiplet products for AI compute workloads, taking full advantage of Vertical Compute’s VIM™ memory technology.
• End-to-End Process Ownership: Lead and manage the full process from initial architecture definition through FE RTL development, functional verification, Design-For-Test (DFT), physical implementation oversight, and post-silicon bring-up.
• Team Leadership: Manage and mentor the internal hardware design team while directing external design service companies and IP vendors to ensure high-quality, on-schedule delivery.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration with Memory Team: Partner closely with the memory engineering team to co-optimize hardware architectures for AI processing, maximizing bandwidth, throughput, and power efficiency.
• Execution & Quality Assurance: Establish robust design methodologies, best engineering practices, and thorough review processes across the hardware flow to guarantee tape-out readiness and silicon success.

About the team

This role leads the Hardware Design team within Vertical Compute's Product & System organization, partnering closely with our cross-functional engineering teams in Memory Design, Packaging, and System Architecture. We foster a highly collaborative, transparent, and inclusive environment where strong technical alignment and continuous innovation are central to solving the industry's memory bottleneck.

Requirements

About who you are

• 15+ years of experience in ASIC/SoC hardware design and architecture, with at least 3+ years leading engineering teams or managing design projects.
• In-depth hands-on expertise across the full ASIC development cycle: architectural specification, RTL design (SystemVerilog/Verilog), functional verification, DFT strategies, physical implementation, and post-silicon bring-up.
• Proven track record of successful silicon tape-outs, preferably involving complex multi-die, chiplet, or 2.5D/3D heterogeneous packaging architectures.
• Deep technical understanding of hardware-software co-design, memory architectures, and hardware acceleration for AI compute workloads.
• Demonstrated experience managing internal engineering talent as well as managing external design service providers.
• Degree (B.S., M.S., or Ph.D.) in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Microelectronics, or a related discipline.
• Strong leadership, project management, and cross-functional communication skills with a focus on collaborative problem-solving.
• Fluency in English with strong written and verbal communication abilities.

Location: Grenoble (France)