Principal Product Applications Engineer – Memory & CXL

About the Role

Astera Labs is looking for a Principal Product Applications Engineer to support the deployment of our Leo Smart Memory Controller and Extender solutions in next-generation server, AI, and datacenter platforms.

This role sits at the intersection of memory architecture, system integration, hardware/software debug, and customer engineering. You will work directly with customers and Astera Labs engineering teams to bring up platforms, troubleshoot complex memory and system issues, support product development, and drive solutions from initial integration through production.

We are looking for an experienced engineer with strong DDR/DRAM and memory subsystem expertise who enjoys solving complex system-level problems and working with customers. Experience with CXL and related high-speed technologies is highly relevant. Firmware or platform software experience is valuable, but not required.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a technical point of contact for customers integrating Leo products into server, AI, and datacenter platforms.
• Support customer platform bring-up, integration, debug, and production deployment.
• Troubleshoot complex memory, hardware, system, and software interactions.
• Analyze DDR and memory subsystem behavior, including initialization, training, configuration, performance, and error handling.
• Work with customers and internal engineering teams to isolate root causes and drive technical issues through resolution.
• Collaborate with hardware, firmware, validation, systems, and product engineering teams on customer issues and new product capabilities.
• Review system architectures, schematics, logs, debug data, and technical documentation to identify and resolve issues.
• Support integration and debug of CXL, PCIe, and other high-speed interfaces.
• Translate customer requirements and technical issues into actionable engineering requirements and product feedback.
• Create technical documentation, application notes, debug reports, and customer-facing technical material.
• Participate in customer technical reviews, platform bring-up activities, and product demonstrations.
• Help identify opportunities to improve product functionality and customer deployment experience.

Requirements

Required

• Significant hands-on experience with DDR/DRAM and memory subsystems in server, datacenter, SoC, controller, semiconductor, or related computing environments.
• Strong understanding of memory architecture and the interaction between memory, CPUs/SoCs, controllers, and platform components.
• Experience with memory bring-up, debug, validation, integration, or system-level troubleshooting.
• Ability to analyze complex technical problems and work across multiple engineering disciplines to identify root cause.
• Experience working with hardware, systems, validation, product, or customer engineering teams.
• Strong technical communication skills, including the ability to explain complex memory and system concepts clearly to customers and engineering teams.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field.
• Typically 8+ years of relevant industry experience.

Preferred

• Experience with CXL or CXL memory.
• Experience with PCIe or other high-speed interconnects.
• Hands-on firmware or platform software development/debugging, particularly with C/C++.
• Experience with BIOS, UEFI, BMC, OpenBMC, or other platform firmware.
• Experience with memory initialization, training, controller configuration, or platform firmware.
• Knowledge of memory RAS, ECC, PPR, patrol scrubbing, or related reliability technologies.
• Experience with server or hyperscale datacenter platforms.
• Experience with silicon or system bring-up.
• Experience using protocol analyzers, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, or other hardware debug equipment.
• Experience working with OEMs, ODMs, hyperscalers, or semiconductor customers.
• Previous Product Applications, FAE, systems engineering, or other customer-facing technical experience.
• Linux, drivers, or system software experience.

Who Will Be Successful

The strongest candidates will bring deep practical knowledge of DDR/DRAM and memory systems combined with the ability to work across hardware, systems, and customer organizations.

We are open to candidates coming from different technical paths, including memory engineering, applications engineering, systems engineering, validation, firmware, platform engineering, or semiconductor product development.

Direct CXL experience is valuable, but candidates with strong DDR/memory expertise and relevant adjacent experience are encouraged to apply.

This role is well suited for an engineer who enjoys going beyond a narrow technical discipline-working with customers, investigating difficult system problems, collaborating with engineering teams, and helping shape how products are deployed in next-generation AI and datacenter platforms.

Location

Santa Clara, CA / Hybrid

Compensation

The base salary range for this role is $175,000 – $230,000 USD. Your base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and the pay of employees in similar positions.

Astera Labs is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

We know that creativity and innovation happen more often when teams include diverse ideas, backgrounds, and experiences, and we actively encourage everyone with relevant experience to apply, including people of color, LGBTQ+ and non-binary people, veterans, parents, and individuals with disabilities.

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