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Senior Software Engineer

Graphcore·Bristol·Hybrid·Posted 5 days ago

Graphcore is a Bristol-based AI semiconductor company building Intelligence Processing Units for machine learning workloads, now part of SoftBank. They're hiring a Senior Software Engineer in Bristol (hybrid). This software engineering role sits within the UK's AI semiconductor sector.

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 enjoys a culture of continuous learning and constant innovation.

Join our innovative and ambitious team as a Senior System Software Engineer in Test – Firmware at Graphcore Ltd. You will have an important role in defining AI technology’s future. This role offers the chance to develop groundbreaking AI innovations with a team dedicated to flawless performance and world-class solutions.

Responsibilities

  • Build, implement, and deliver high-quality tests for complex firmware features.
  • Support in debugging and reducing Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) of both internal and incoming issues.
  • Develop, improve, and maintain the CI/CD pipelines.
  • Collaborate with other teams to understand use cases and develop integration and acceptance test plans.
  • Actively participate in technical discussions, decision-making, and reviews within the team.
  • Influence the leadership team with improved ‘ways of working’ or equivalent experience and mentor junior members of the team.

Requirements

  • 5+ years of experience in firmware qualification.
  • Experience working with real-time embedded systems and intricate boot procedures.
  • Experience in handling hardware and diagnostic tools.
  • Strong understanding of modern silicon and hardware interfaces (I2C, I3C, SMBus, SPI, PCIe, DDR, power management, etc.).
  • Experience with CI/CD, build tools, and modern testing practices.
  • Excellent problem-solving skills and a track record of working with complex cross-layer issues.
  • Strong communication skills and the ability to detail technical processes effectively.

Differentiators

  • Experience handling server-class systems.
  • Experience in Zephyr OS.
  • Experience collaborating with OpenBMC.

Graphcore Ltd. provides a collaborative environment where your skills will be challenged and developed. We are dedicated to ensuring that everyone has the chance to contribute to our world-class solutions and achieve their full potential. Join us in pushing the boundaries of AI innovation and make a lasting impact!

We welcome people of different backgrounds and experiences; we’re committed to building an inclusive work environment that makes Graphcore a great home for everyone. We offer an equal opportunity process and understand that there are visible and invisible differences in all of us. We can provide a flexible approach to interview and encourage you to chat to us if you require any reasonable adjustments.

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About Graphcore

Graphcore is a Bristol-based AI semiconductor company founded in 2016 by serial semiconductor entrepreneurs Nigel Toon and Simon Knowles. Toon previously led XMOS and Picochip, while Knowles co-founded Element14 (acquired by Broadcom) and Icera (acquired by NVIDIA for $435M). The company developed Intelligence Processing Units (IPUs), novel AI accelerators designed from the ground up for machine learning workloads, alongside the proprietary Poplar graph programming framework. Graphcore raised $767M in total funding, reaching a $2.77B valuation, with backing from Sequoia Capital, Atomico, Amadeus, Microsoft, and others. In July 2024, SoftBank Group acquired Graphcore for approximately $500M to $600M. The company continues to operate from Bristol with plans to expand its UK headcount to 750.

Stage: AcquiredBristol
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