Skip to content
Silicon Roles

Principal Kernel & Device Drivers Engineer

SambaNovaSan Jose, California, United States$180,000+Embedded & Firmware
Apply on SambaNova’s site →
The published floor of $180,000 is 24% above the Embedded & Firmware median of $145,000. First seen on this site 2026-08-19.
Posted 2026-08-18 · read from greenhouse

The era of pervasive AI has arrived. In this era, organizations will use generative AI to unlock hidden value in their data, accelerate processes, reduce costs, drive efficiency and innovation to fundamentally transform their businesses and operations at scale. SambaNova Suite™ is the first full-stack, generative AI platform, from chip to model, optimized for enterprise and government organizations. Powered by the intelligent SN40L chip, the SambaNova Suite is a fully integrated platform, delivered on-premises or in the cloud, combined with state-of-the-art open-source models that can be easily and securely fine-tuned using customer data for greater accuracy. Once adapted with customer data, customers retain model ownership in perpetuity, so they can turn generative AI into one of their most valuable assets. About the role SambaNova is seeking a Principal Engineer to own kernel-level drivers and low-level software for high-speed IO, memory, and networking subsystems within the DataScale® platform and RDU architecture. This role is central to delivering reliable, high-performance AI systems at scale. This is a hands-on Linux kernel and device driver role; it is not an application or platform software role. You will lead software bring-up of new silicon, deliver production drivers across the IO, memory, and network data paths, and debug complex issues spanning kernel, firmware, and hardware. This role suits an engineer with deep kernel and driver expertise and strong hardware fluency, who can operate in ambiguity and execute with high ownership.