San Mateo, California, United States · On-site
$270k–$325k/yr
About Neurophos 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. Conqu…
Skills: Silicon Photonics Design, Electromagnetic Simulation, Photonic Integrated Circuits, Pdk Management, Dfm
Austin, Texas, United States · On-site
$215k–$250k/yr
About Neurophos 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. Conqu…
Skills: SystemVerilog, Xilinx Vivado, FPGA Design, PCIe Gen 3/4/5, RTL Verification
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Lead the architecture, design, and development of advanced silicon photonic devices for an AI acceleration platform. This includes managing the end-to-end system link budget and collaborating with external foundries for successful tape-outs.
Requires a PhD in Photonics, Physics, or Electrical Engineering with at least 3 years of industry experience in silicon photonics and 5 years of electromagnetic simulation. Candidates must have a proven track record of taking photonic devices from concept to commercial production.
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!
We are seeking a leader to own the architecture, design, and development of advanced silicon photonic devices for our AI acceleration platform. This role is ideal for a highly experienced and motivated engineer with a deep understanding of silicon photonics, including grating couplers, waveguides, semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs), and photodetectors, who is excited. The candidate will work closely with the CTO and cross-disciplinary teams to drive the design, validation, and commercialization of cutting-edge photonic modules. Initially, this position will be an individual contributor role, with the potential to build and lead a team in the future.
Austin, TX or San Jose, CA. Full-time onsite position.
Develop and maintain an end-to-end system link budget.
Architect, design, model, and optimize complex silicon photonic devices, including grating couplers, waveguides, SOAs, and photodetectors, for high-speed AI computing applications.
Collaborate with external foundries to develop manufacturable designs using process design kits (PDKs) and ensure successful tape-out of silicon photonic components.
Perform design-for-manufacturing (DFM) and design-for-test (DFT) evaluations to ensure scalability and robust production.
Conduct and interpret optical simulations using industry-standard tools (e.g., Lumerical, Ansys, COMSOL, or equivalent).
Work with optical fiber assemblies and ensure seamless integration with high-speed photonic systems.
Perform experimental validation and characterization of silicon photonic devices in the lab.
Collaborate closely with optomechanical, electrical, and software engineering teams to ensure system-level integration.
Lead design reviews and contribute to the development of optical test plans, specifications, and manufacturing guidelines.
Support the development of intellectual property (IP) and contribute to patent filings related to novel silicon photonic designs.
Mentor junior engineers and contribute to the continuous improvement of silicon photonics design methodologies.
PhD in Photonics, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or a related discipline.
3+ years of industry experience in silicon photonics design
5+ years of electromagnetic simulation experience.
Demonstrated expertise in designing and optimizing photonic integrated circuits, including grating couplers, waveguides, SOAs, and photodetectors.
Proven track record of taking silicon photonic devices from concept through to commercial production using leading foundries.
Hands-on experience working with PDKs, performing DFM/DFT, and managing tape-outs.
Experience characterizing and validating silicon photonic devices in a laboratory environment.
Familiarity with optical fiber coupling and high-speed photonics applications.
Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a dynamic environment.
Excellent communication skills, with the ability to clearly convey complex technical information to diverse stakeholders.
Industry experience in optical communications, quantum computing, optical computing, or augmented reality (AR).
Knowledge of advanced photonic integration techniques and emerging photonics technologies.
Experience with high-speed photonics and signal integrity in integrated systems.
Proficiency in scripting or programming (e.g., Python, MATLAB) for design automation and analysis.
Demonstrated leadership experience or the potential to build and manage a technical team.
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.
Join 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.
Photonic ExaFLOPS AI chips
Neurophos is building AI inference chips that are two orders of magnitude faster and more energy efficient than state-of-the-art GPUs. Its Optical Processing Unit uses a metasurface compute architecture with tunable optical elements roughly 10,000x smaller than conventional photonic approaches, delivering a step-change in compute density, speed, and power efficiency. This breakthrough targets the central constraint in AI infrastructure: the ability to manufacture, power, cool, and deploy enough compute for hyperscale inference. By increasing compute per chip, per wafer, and per megawatt, Neurophos creates a fundamentally steeper scaling curve for AI. The company has strong strategic and commercial momentum. Microsoft engaged deeply and invested meaningfully in Neurophos’ 3x oversubscribed $110M Series A. Neurophos is engaged with the majority of hyperscalers and has commercial negotiations underway. Neurophos has completed its first compute demonstration with a metasurface array and is taping out additional devices with improved reliability and performance. The company is working with the leading foundries, custom ASIC designers, optics suppliers, and packaging partners. Neurophos has tripled its headcount since closing its $110M Series A in January 2026, adding senior leaders from NVIDIA, Intel, Infinera, Qualcomm, Magic Leap, and other leading semiconductor and photonics companies.
Offices: Austin, Texas 78744, US · San Francisco, US
Photonic ExaFLOPS AI chips
Neurophos is building AI inference chips that are two orders of magnitude faster and more energy efficient than state-of-the-art GPUs. Its Optical Processing Unit uses a metasurface compute architecture with tunable optical elements roughly 10,000x smaller than conventional photonic approaches, delivering a step-change in compute density, speed, and power efficiency. This breakthrough targets the central constraint in AI infrastructure: the ability to manufacture, power, cool, and deploy enough compute for hyperscale inference. By increasing compute per chip, per wafer, and per megawatt, Neurophos creates a fundamentally steeper scaling curve for AI. The company has strong strategic and commercial momentum. Microsoft engaged deeply and invested meaningfully in Neurophos’ 3x oversubscribed $110M Series A. Neurophos is engaged with the majority of hyperscalers and has commercial negotiations underway. Neurophos has completed its first compute demonstration with a metasurface array and is taping out additional devices with improved reliability and performance. The company is working with the leading foundries, custom ASIC designers, optics suppliers, and packaging partners. Neurophos has tripled its headcount since closing its $110M Series A in January 2026, adding senior leaders from NVIDIA, Intel, Infinera, Qualcomm, Magic Leap, and other leading semiconductor and photonics companies.
Offices: Austin, Texas 78744, US · San Francisco, US
