Principal SOC Modeling Architect

Join Microsoft Azures Firmware Center of Excellence to define the future of pre-silicon software development for Microsoft custom silicon. This Principal Modeling Architect is a cross-program technical leader who solves hard system-level problems, establishes scalable architecture and engineering patterns, and then transitions execution ownership to development teams and junior engineers for long-term delivery.   As  Principal SOC Modeling Architect, you will provide technical leadership across multiple Azure silicon programs. You will drive the architecture and evolution of high-fidelity virtual platforms that enable firmware, operating system, platform development, validation, and silicon bring-up before hardware is available. This is not a single-project implementation role. The expectation is to work across projects, identify and solve the hardest technical problems, prototype and de-risk solutions, establish direction, and then hand off durable execution paths to the broader engineering team.

Why This Role Is Unique Develop firmware and software before hardware exists. Influence silicon architecture and platform strategy across Azure hardware programs. Solve the organization s hardest modeling, firmware, bring-up, and system integration problems. Work across multiple programs as a trusted technical leader rather than owning only one execution lane. Shape Microsoft s future virtual platform and hybrid development strategy. Build reusable solutions that enable firmware, validation, architecture, and platform teams to move faster.   Technical Leadership and Strategy Lead resolution of complex system-level challenges spanning virtual platforms, firmware, silicon architecture, validation infrastructure, software enablement, and hybrid execution environments. Define architectural direction for SystemC/TLM-based virtual platforms supporting multiple generations of Azure silicon. Identify technical risks, technology gaps, and scaling challenges across programs, then drive practical solutions that can be adopted by multiple teams. Establish engineering standards, modeling practices, reusable frameworks, debug strategies, and validation approaches that improve quality and reduce duplicated effort.   Cross-Program Architecture and Influence Work across multiple silicon programs as a shared technical leader and subject matter expert. Define reusable platform capabilities across Azure hardware initiatives rather than creating one-off project-specific implementations. Influence silicon architecture, firmware readiness, validation methodologies, and platform bring-up strategy through early technical engagement. Drive alignment across architecture, design verification, firmware, operating system, emulation, prototyping, and platform teams without relying on direct authority.   Modeling and Firmware Enablement Design and develop SystemC/TLM-2.0 models for complex SoC subsystems including PCIe, memory, boot infrastructure, compute clusters, interconnect, and platform services. Develop and debug low-level firmware and validation software running on virtual platforms. Support firmware bring-up activities including UEFI, Windows Boot, PCIe initialization, platform enumeration, early driver enablement, and operating system integration. Debug complex interactions spanning hardware, firmware, operating systems, virtualization environments, simulation infrastructure, host systems, and modeling frameworks. Analyze and optimize simulation performance, scalability, usability, and debug productivity across large SoC and multi-SoC environments.   Hybrid Platform Strategy Contribute to architectural integration of virtual platforms with emulation and prototyping systems including ZeBu, HAPS, Helium, Palladium, and Protium. Help define Microsoft s long-term hybrid development strategy by combining simulation, emulation, and prototyping technologies to scale pre-silicon software development and validation capacity.