The demand for new datacenters and AI compute is rapidly outpacing the planet's energy capacity. Digital solutions are hitting a power wall as we approach the physical limits of traditional silicon. Conquering this bottleneck isn’t about bigger chips or more of them; it means rethinking the fundamental architecture. The industry's current path isn’t going to meet the need, so we took a different approach.
Instead of traditional electronic circuits, we use silicon photonics and an active, programmable metasurface to perform matrix multiplications at the speed of light. Our optical cells are 10,000x smaller than traditional photonic components, enabling unprecedented density. By using photonics instead of electricity, our chips become more efficient as they scale. This architecture will deliver up to 100 times the energy efficiency of existing solutions while significantly improving performance for large-scale AI inference.
We’ve assembled a world-class team of industry veterans and recently raised a $110M Series A led by Gates Frontier. Participants include M12 (Microsoft’s Venture Fund), Carbon Direct Capital, Aramco Ventures, Bosch Ventures, Tectonic Ventures, Space Capital, and others. We have also been recognized on the EE Times Silicon 100 list for several consecutive years.
Join us and shape the future of computing!
Position Overview:
We are seeking an experienced Lead for Functional Modeling (FMOD) to establish and drive our functional modeling infrastructure, enabling early software development and RTL validation. This leadership role combines deep technical expertise in hardware functional modeling with team leadership responsibilities. You will build the FMOD team, define modeling methodologies using our YinYang event-driven framework, and create high-fidelity functional models of our novel optical computing platform that enable software teams to develop ahead of silicon.
Location: Austin, TX or San Mateo, CA. Full-time onsite position.
Key Responsibilities:
Lead the FMOD team (4+ engineers) focused on functional modeling and software enablement
Architect and implement functional models of optical GEMM engines, SRAM vector processors, and dataflow engines
Define functional modeling methodologies within the YinYang (libyy) event-driven framework
Build transaction-level models (TLM) with clean interfaces between compute blocks
Develop both execution-driven and trace-driven simulation capabilities
Integrate SystemC/TLM 2.x models with custom C++ simulation infrastructure
Enable early software development by providing high-performance functional simulators
Collaborate with RTL teams on functional validation and co-simulation strategies
Define modeling abstractions and component interfaces that enable team parallelism
Mentor modeling engineers and establish team development practices
Drive functional correctness validation through a comprehensive test infrastructure
Qualifications:
MS or PhD in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or Computer Science (or BS with equivalent experience)
10+ years of experience in functional modeling, hardware emulation, or system-level simulation
Proven experience building and leading technical teams (3+ years of management experience)
Deep expertise in both execution-driven and trace-driven simulation methodologies
Strong proficiency with SystemC and Transaction-Level Modeling (TLM 2.x)
Expert-level C++ programming (C++17/20/23) with focus on modularity and performance
Experience designing clean abstraction layers for complex hardware systems
Track record of shipping functional models that enabled software development or RTL validation
Excellent communication skills and ability to collaborate across hardware and software teams
Understanding of computer architecture and accelerator design principles
Preferred Skills:
Experience with GPU architectures and CUDA programming
Background in accelerator functional modeling (TPU, NPU, DSP, or similar)
Familiarity with Verilator, SystemVerilog, or RTL co-simulation (DPI interfaces)
Knowledge of memory system modeling (HBM, DRAM, cache hierarchies)
Experience with event-driven simulation frameworks (gem5, SST, or custom frameworks)
Understanding of ML workloads and framework internals (PyTorch, TensorFlow)
Background in optical computing, photonics, or analog computing paradigms
Experience with high-performance simulation optimization techniques
Python expertise for scripting, analysis, and test infrastructure
Publication record in hardware modeling or computer architecture
This is an opportunity to play a pivotal role in an innovative startup redefining the future of AI hardware. Work on a game-changing technology at the intersection of photonics and AI as part of a collaborative and brilliant team. You’ll contribute to a platform that redefines computational performance and accelerates the future of artificial intelligence. Come help us bring this transformative technology to the world.
BenefitsJoin a team that invests in your future and your well-being. At Neurophos, we offer:
100% coverage of base health plan premiums for you and your dependents, plus HSA contributions.
Unlimited PTO. No rigid vacation banks, just a focus on delivery.
401(k) matching and stock option opportunities to ensure our success is your success.
Full suite of voluntary benefits, including Dental, Vision, Life, Hospital, Critical Illness, and Accident insurance.
Personalized Benefits. Choose the plans that fit your life and take the cash back for those that don’t.
Top Skills
What We Do
Neurophos is delivering the computational power of the human brain to artificial intelligence. By leveraging decades of metamaterials research and >300 patents, we are unlocking the speed and efficiency of optical compute in an in-memory processor to increase the speed and energy efficiency of AI inference by more than 100X.
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