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Design Verification Lead, AI Hardware

Tenstorrent Toronto, Ontario, Canada

hybrid

Salary: $100,000 - $500,000 / year

Posted May 11, 2026

**Role & seniority: ** Verification Lead (ASIC/SoC lead). Hiring across multiple seniority levels; level determined during interviews.

**Stack/tools: **

  • HDL/verification: SystemVerilog, UVM

  • Simulation/automation: cocotb

  • AI-specific validation: mixed-precision/tensor-based operation coverage

  • Test scope: subsystem simulation → FPGA → silicon (platform-agnostic methodology)

  • Top 3 responsibilities:

    • Lead verification strategy/plans for next-gen AI hardware, focusing on functionality and performance.

    • Validate AI data types and transformations (e.g., FP8, BF16, INT8) and accuracy of compute/movement patterns.

    • Drive NoC/on-chip network validation: throughput/bandwidth/congestion benchmarking under high traffic; ensure resiliency via error injection and concurrency controls.

  • Must-have skills:

    • Proven verification leadership through complex ASIC/SoC tape-outs.

    • Deep understanding of AI/ML hardware verification for tensor-based workloads and AI data formats.

    • Strong UVM/SystemVerilog hands-on background; ability to mentor and apply coverage-driven methodologies.

    • Expertise in NoC validation and high-performance network stress testing.

  • Nice-to-haves:

    • Experience with error injection, multi-core synchronization, and edge-case failure handling.

    • Familiarity with emerging/advanced automation frameworks and AI-driven verification techniques.

    • Experience bridgin

Full Description

Tenstorrent is leading the industry on cutting-edge AI technology, revolutionizing performance expectations, ease of use, and cost efficiency. With AI redefining the computing paradigm, solutions must evolve to unify innovations in software models, compilers, platforms, networking, and semiconductors. Our diverse team of technologists have developed a high performance RISC-V CPU from scratch, and share a passion for AI and a deep desire to build the best AI platform possible. We value collaboration, curiosity, and a commitment to solving hard problems. We are growing our team and looking for contributors of all seniorities. We are seeking a Verification Lead for our next-generation AI hardware.You’ll guide a top-tier team of Verification Engineers, shaping test strategies to validate functionality and performance of our AI core. This role requires expertise in AI-specific data types, common AI data-movement compute patterns, and on-chip network validation, combined with strong leadership and collaboration skills. This role is hybrid based out Toronto, ON. We welcome candidates at various experience levels for this role. During the interview process, candidates will be assessed for the appropriate level, and offers will align with that level, which may differ from the one in this posting. Who You Are

A Seasoned Verification Leader: An experienced ASIC/SoC lead with proven track record of leading teams through complex tape-outs.

An AI Hardware Specialist: An expert in the nuances of high-performance compute, specifically focused on AI/ML architectures and the intricacies of tensor-based operations.

A Systems Architect at Heart: A strategist who views verification through a system-level lens, ensuring that hardware, software, and on-chip networks (NoC) harmonize perfectly.

A Technical Mentor: A hands-on guide proficient in UVM, SystemVerilog, and cocotb, dedicated to elevating team capabilities and driving rigorous coverage-driven methodologies. What We Need

Strategic AI Verification: Expertise in architecting verification plans for mixed-precision data types (FP8, BF16, INT8) and validating the accuracy of complex AI transformations.

High-Performance NoC Expertise: Deep experience benchmarking on-chip networks under high-demand traffic, ensuring throughput, bandwidth, and congestion management meet peak requirements.

Resiliency & Error Injection: A proactive approach to system stability, implementing robust concurrency controls and multi-core synchronization to handle edge-case failures.

Platform-Agnostic Methodology: The ability to develop portable test strategies that scale seamlessly from subsystem-level simulations to FPGA and final Silicon.

Cross-Functional Synergy: A collaborative mindset that bridges the gap between hardware architecture and software requirements to ensure performance targets are met. What You Will Learn

Next-Gen AI/ML Tooling: Integrating your specific advanced automation frameworks and emerging AI-driven verification techniques into the existing lifecycle.

Evolving Workload Dynamics: Gaining a deeper understanding of your proprietary AI workloads and how they stress memory access patterns uniquely within your architecture.

Project-Specific Performance Bottlenecks: Identifying and mastering the unique architectural constraints of your specific SoC to push bandwidth limits further. Compensation for all engineers at Tenstorrent ranges from $100k - $500k including base and variable compensation targets. Experience, skills, education, background and location all impact the actual offer made. Tenstorrent offers a highly competitive compensation package and benefits, and we are an equal opportunity employer. This offer of employment is contingent upon the applicant being eligible to access U.S. export-controlled technology. Due to U.S. export laws, including those codified in the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (EAR), the Company is required to ensure compliance with these laws when transferring technology to nationals of certain countries (such as EAR Country Groups D:1, E1, and E2). These requirements apply to persons located in the U.S. and all countries outside the U.S. As the position offered will have direct and/or indirect access to information, systems, or technologies subject to these laws, the offer may be contingent upon your citizenship/permanent residency status or ability to obtain prior license approval from the U.S. Commerce Department or applicable federal agency. If employment is not possible due to U.S. export laws, any offer of employment will be rescinded.

ASIC VerificationSoC VerificationUVMSystemVerilogCocotbAI/ML ArchitecturesOn-Chip Network (NoC) ValidationMixed-Precision Data TypesCoverage-Driven MethodologyFPGA ValidationSilicon ValidationMulti-core SynchronizationTensor-based OperationsHardware ArchitectureTest Strategy DevelopmentTechnical Mentorshipmulti-location

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