Lightmatter is leading the revolution in AI data center infrastructure, enabling the next giant leaps in human progress. The company invented the world’s first 3D-stacked photonics engine, Passage™, capable of connecting thousands to millions of processors at the speed of light in extreme-scale data centers for the most advanced AI and HPC workloads.
Lightmatter raised $400 million in its Series D round, reaching a valuation of $4.4 billion. We will continue to accelerate the development of data center photonics and grow every department at Lightmatter!
If you're passionate about tackling complex challenges, making an impact, and being an expert in your craft, join our team of brilliant scientists, engineers, and accomplished industry leaders.
Lightmatter is (re)inventing the future of computing with light!
About this Role
As a Principal Analog Mixed-Signal (AMS) Systems Architect, you will collaborate with external partners and internal engineering teams to deliver innovative, high-volume products. In this role, you will define and develop AMS architectures, equalization filters, and digital signal processing algorithms for optical interconnects. You will model, analyze, and optimize solutions in collaboration with cross-disciplinary teams. Success in this role requires expertise in advanced CMOS, SerDes, silicon photonics, and high-speed (40+ GHz) electro-optic interfaces, along with strong creativity, analytical skills, and clear communication. You may also represent Lightmatter’s technical leadership at conferences and industry events.
Join a tight-knit team where each individual’s contributions directly influence the success of the company and product. You'll have the opportunity to build a new kind of computer from the ground up and to solve groundbreaking challenges along the way. Work with people who love to build and who thrive in technically diverse environments where great ideas are prioritized.
*We are currently hiring for multiple levels for this role. Your level and compensation will be determined by your experience, education, and location.
Responsibilities:
- Develop innovative AMS architectures and creative solutions for high-performance optical interconnect and datacom products.
- Define system-on-chip (SoC), AMS circuit, signal processing, and link-level requirements for next-generation optical interconnect products.
- Review, guide, and provide technical leadership to cross-functional engineering teams.
- Collaborate across disciplines—including electronics, photonics, and mechanical engineering—to design and review systems, algorithms, circuits, and devices that meet performance, power, thermal, and reliability targets.
- Define and refine requirements for system-level characterization, debug, and validation in partnership with engineering and product teams.
- Conduct system-level performance analysis, evaluating key metrics such as power consumption, latency, bandwidth, and overall cost-effectiveness.
- Research emerging optical interconnect and AMS technologies, driving long-term technology roadmaps aligned with market trends and strategic goals.
- Clearly communicate complex technical ideas and decisions to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Collaborate on interface design, documentation, and verification with internal engineering teams.
- Publish innovative work and represent the company at leading technical conferences.
- Mentor and coach junior engineers, fostering technical growth and innovation within the team.
This is not a complete listing of the responsibilities. It’s a representation of the things you will be doing
Qualifications:
- Ph.D. or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field with at least 8 years of relevant experience.
- Minimum 8+ years of experience in Analog/Mixed-Signal circuit design and architecture
- Minimum 8 years of hands-on experience designing and integrating AMS circuits, including PLLs, ADCs, DACs, SERDES, amplifiers, and high-speed I/O interfaces.
- Minimum 4 years of experience in architecting, modeling, and simulating AMS systems for complex SoC and silicon photonics applications.
- Experience with signal integrity, power integrity, and optimization of AMS circuits in high-speed and low-power environments.
- 2+ years leading cross-functional teams, driving innovations in AMS design, verification, and product deployment.
- Proven success in hardware validation, characterization, and working collaboratively with silicon, package, and system engineering teams.
- Proficiency in design, simulation, and verification tools (e.g., Cadence Virtuoso, Spectre, HSPICE, MATLAB, Keysight ADS, and behavioral modeling using Verilog-A/AMS).
- Strong understanding of noise analysis, jitter, crosstalk, and parasitic effects in high-performance AMS systems.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience in mentoring junior engineers
- Demonstrated strong problem solving skills specifically pertaining to problems that do not have obvious solutions
- Deep understanding of market trends and application of optical interconnects
- Strong track record in publications and patents is a plus
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Willing and able to learn quickly. Self-starter with a “no task is too big or small” attitude
- Comprehensive Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
- Retirement Savings Matching Program
- Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
- Generous Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
- Paid Family Leave
- Short Term & Long Term Disability
- Training & Development
- Commuter Benefits
- Flexible, hybrid workplace model
- Equity grants
Lightmatter recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law.
Export Control
Candidates should have capacity to comply with the federally mandated requirements of U.S. export control laws.
Top Skills
What We Do
Lightmatter is a startup photonics company that has pioneered a new paradigm in processor chip architecture that uses photons instead of electrons. Now the leader in the photonic AI compute “space race,” this new class of high performance semiconductors is the foundation of Lightmatter’s mission to enable the growth of computing, reduce harmful emissions associated with this growth, and democratize computing for all.
Lightmatter's technology accelerates critical operations in deep neural networks, using an array of programmable photonic elements fabricated alongside transistors in conventional computer chip fabrication processes. Our close-knit team of engineers has created an integrated photonics chip and ultra-high performance interconnect that is faster, more efficient, and cooler than anything else on earth (or anything ever experienced before) to power the next giant leaps in human progress.
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