Principal Software Architect – NPU Developer Platform

*We are not accepting outside agencies at this time*

BrainChip is pioneering neuromorphic edge AI processors that deliver ultra-low-power intelligence at the point of data creation. We are seeking a seasoned Principal Software Architect with 7+ years of deep systems software experience to own the full developer platform for our 3rd-generation Neural Processing Unit (NPU).

Reporting directly to the CTO and partnering closely with our internal compiler lead, you will architect, integrate, and deliver a production-grade software ecosystem—including a VS Code-based IDE with embedded LLM assistance, system-level profiling, target-side bootloader, RTOS integration, and advanced debugging—all built atop mature open-source foundations and our in-house compiler.

Your mission: assemble together a seamless, best-in-class developer experience that hides complexity and accelerates adoption of BrainChip's unique neuromorphic hardware.

This is a hybrid role, in our Laguna Hills, CA office 3x a week.

Key Responsibilities

1.Developer Platform Architecture & Integration

• Own end-to-end integration of our internal compiler into a unified toolchain with runtime, IDE, debugger, profiler, and deployment pipeline.
• Define clean APIs, build systems (CMake, Ninja), and packaging (SDKs, Docker, Debian) for internal and external developers.
• Maximize leverage of open-source: LLVM/MLIR (for IR), VS Code (IDE), GDB/OpenOCD (debug), Zephyr/FreeRTOS (RTOS), eBPF/perf (profiling).

2.VS Code IDE with LLM-Powered Developer Assistance

• Lead development of BrainChip VS Code extensions (LSP, DAP, custom UI panels).
• Integrate LLM-driven features: model-aware code completion, hardware mapping suggestions, auto-optimization hints, and natural-language debugging.
• Enable visualization of spiking activity, sparsity patterns, and power/latency tradeoffs in real time.

3.
System-Level Profiling & Performance Observability

• Design and deliver a unified profiling suite (host + target) capturing:

-End-to-end latency (software → RTOS → NPU)

-Power draw (per-core, memory, interconnect)

-Sparsity utilization, event density, neuron firing rates

• Provide interactive dashboards (VS Code or web) with hotspot detection, bottleneck analysis, and optimization recommendations.

4.
Target-Side Bootloader & RTOS Integration

• Architect a secure, minimal target bootloader supporting:

– Signed firmware, A/B updates, rollback

– Measured boot, secure world isolation

• Integrate with open-source RTOS for concurrent multi-model support and real-time scheduling on the NPU SoC.

5.
Debugging & Hardware-in-the-Loop Workflow

• Extend GDB/LLDB with NPU-specific commands for cycle-accurate stepping, event tracing, and state inspection (membranes, synapses, queues).
• Support JTAG, SWD, and OTA debug with non-intrusive hardware tracing.

6.
Hardware-Software Co-Design Feedback Loop

• Work hand-in-hand with the CTO and silicon team to expose hardware capabilities via software abstractions.
• Use profiling and simulation data to influence microarchitecture (e.g., memory tiling, sparsity engines, event routing).

7.
Open-Source Strategy & Ecosystem Leadership

• Adopt and contribute upstream to LLVM, MLIR, VS Code, Zephyr, OpenOCD, etc.
• Minimize proprietary code; maximize portability and community adoption.
• Publish SDKs, tutorials, and reference designs to grow the developer ecosystem.

Qualifications

• Education: BS in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent.

Experience:

• 7+ years in systems software; 3+ years integrating and productizing complex toolchains (compilers, IDEs, debuggers, profilers).
• Proven success shipping VS Code extensions or full developer platforms used by external teams desired.
• Deep experience with open-source integration and upstream contribution workflows.
• Technical Expertise in many of the following:

– IDE & Tooling: VS Code Extension API, LSP, DAP, TypeScript, WebAssembly UI.

– Debug & Profiling: GDB/LLDB extensions, OpenOCD, eBPF, perf, hardware trace

(ETM/HTM).

– RTOS & Embedded: Zephyr/FreeRTOS, device trees, linker scripts, bare-metal bring-up.

– Build & Packaging: CMake, Ninja, Yocto, Debian packaging, CI/CD.

– Languages: Expert in C/C++, Rust; strong in Python, TypeScript.

– Compiler Integration: LLVM/MLIR tooling, plugin architecture, pass management

• Domain Fit: Experience with edge AI, neuromorphic, or ultra-low-power SoCs strongly preferred and/or intense curiosity and interest.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Upstream contributions to VS Code, LLVM, Zephyr, OpenOCD, or other large opensource projects.
• Experience with LLM integration in IDEs (Copilot, CodeLlama, custom fine-tuned models).
• Secure boot and firmware update systems in production devices.
• Patents or publications in developer tools, profiling, or edge AI deployment.
• Strong Background in robotics and embedded system