Microsoft · 13 hours ago
Interconnect System Architect
Mountain View, CA
Full-time
Hybrid
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
$163K/yr - $296K/yr
9+ years expMicrosoft is a leading technology company expanding its cloud infrastructure, and they are seeking an Interconnect System Architect to join their System Design team. This role is crucial for driving co-design efforts for high-speed connectivity solutions across Microsoft hardware platforms.
Agentic AIApplication Performance ManagementArtificial Intelligence (AI)Business DevelopmentDevOpsInformation ServicesInformation TechnologyManagement Information SystemsNetwork SecuritySoftware
Responsibilities
Lead silicon–system co‑design for high‑speed electrical and optical interconnects (die‑to‑die, package, board, cable/backplane), ensuring coherent requirements flow between SoC/ASIC, packaging, module, and system architectures
Drive the interconnect technology roadmap, define inflection points, readiness criteria, and insertion plans across near‑, mid‑, and long‑term horizons; drive make/buy/partner decisions with clear TCO, risk, and schedule tradeoffs
Drive end‑to‑end SI/PI performance, spanning package→module→tray→rack→cluster to deliver scalable bandwidth density, latency, power, and reliability targets. Work with SI team to establish channel budgets; guide stack‑ups, materials, connector/cable selections; standardize modeling, simulation, and validation methodologies for BER/jitter, crosstalk, S‑parameters, and compliance
Represent Microsoft at industry conferences/consortia and in standards efforts (OIF, IEEE, OCP, OFC, etc.), publish/present to advance ecosystem alignment
Influence roadmaps with PHY, connector, substrate, PCB, cable, and optical vendors; evaluate emerging technologies; incubate POCs that de‑risk insertion into program plans
Qualification
Required
Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field AND 9+ years technical engineering experience
OR Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field AND 11+ years technical engineering experience
OR equivalent experience
Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings:
Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud Background Check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter
Preferred
BS/MS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field
15+ years in interconnect/system architecture, SI/PI, and high‑speed link design for large‑scale systems (servers, accelerators, networking, or comparable)
Proven silicon–package–board co‑design experience: channel definition, PHY requirements, equalization/FFE/DFE tradeoffs, retimer/redriver choices, and end‑to‑end closure
Hands‑on modeling & simulation (e.g., IBIS‑AMI/Statistical/Time‑Domain, S‑parameter manipulation, eye/jitter analysis) and relevant EDA/EM tools (e.g., HFSS, Clarity/Siemens/Ansys, ADS, Sigrity, HSPICE/PrimeSim, MATLAB/Python)
Demonstrated cross‑functional leadership and communication skills—able to drive architecture decisions and tradeoffs with senior technical leaders
Proven analytical and problem-solving skills with a focus on performance optimization
Proven intellectual curiosity and a passion for challenging the status quo and driving disruptive innovation
PhD in EE/CE/Physics (or equivalent)
Expertise with PCIe Gen6/Gen7 (PAM4), Ethernet 112G/224G PAM4, UCIe/XSR/USR links, retimer/redriver, CPC and CPO considerations
Experience with advanced packaging (2.5D/3D, HBM, organic/ABF, glass/interposers), substrate design rules, and warpage/thermo‑mechanical interactions
System‑level architecture across node/rack/cluster, including thermal‑mechanical constraints, serviceability, and manufacturability at cloud scale
Track record of public technical contributions (e.g., DesignCon/Hot Interconnects/OFCS papers, standards proposals), patents, or open‑source/consortia leadership
Deep insight in global supply chain dynamics and technology trends
Company
Microsoft
Microsoft is a software corporation that develops, manufactures, licenses, supports, and sells a range of software products and services.
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
Microsoft has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
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Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$1MKey Investors
Technology Venture Investors
2022-12-09Post Ipo Equity
1986-03-13IPO
1981-09-01Series Unknown· $1M
Leadership Team
Satya Nadella
Chairman and CEO
Vukani Mngxati
Chief Executive Officer - Microsft South Africa
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