Jobs / United States / Sambanova Systems INC
Principal Kernel & Device Drivers Engineer
Sambanova Systems INC · 🇺🇸 San Jose, California, United States
Sponsorship verdict
Sponsorship possible
One solid signal, not two — worth applying, and worth asking about sponsorship early.
- Employer is on a government sponsor recordThe US Department of Labor certified 23 H-1B/E-3 labor condition applications for this employer between Oct 2025 and Jun 2026 (latest Jun 2026) — the step every H-1B hire needs first. USCIS also records 4 H-1B approvals in FY2023. Source: LCA disclosure data (US Department of Labor (OFLC)).
- The posting doesn’t mention sponsorshipSilence isn’t a refusal — ask the recruiter before investing much time.
- No salary bar for this routeH-1B has no fixed salary bar: the employer must pay at least the prevailing wage for the role and area. Cap-subject employers enter a lottery weighted by wage level. Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/12/29/2025-23853/weighted-selection-process-for-registrants-and-petitioners-seeking-to-file-cap-subject-h-1b, rules effective 2026-02-27.
- What Sambanova Systems INC paid sponsored hires in similar roles8 certified filings for “Principal Engineer” (Computer and Information Research Scientists) in CA: $175k–$190k, median $183k. Most were filed at wage level II (100%) — 2 lottery entries, ≈31% projected selection odds for cap-subject employers. Source: US Department of Labor LCA disclosure data (Oct 2025 – Jun 2026).
- Confirmed live todayWhen a source last listed this job as open.
US H-1B: cap-subject employers enter a lottery weighted by wage level — Level I gets 1 entry, Level IV gets 4 (DHS projected selection odds ≈15% at Level I to ≈61% at Level IV). Universities and non-profit research employers are cap-exempt. The $100,000 fee for new petitions from abroad is currently blocked by a court order (appeal pending).
A verdict summarises public evidence; it is not legal advice and never a guarantee — the employer and the immigration authority decide. Sign in to factor in where you can already work.
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Sponsor Radar — Sambanova Systems INC
The US Department of Labor certified 23 H-1B/E-3 labor condition applications for this employer between Oct 2025 and Jun 2026 (latest Jun 2026) — the step every H-1B hire needs first. USCIS also records 4 H-1B approvals in FY2023. Source: LCA disclosure data (US Department of Labor (OFLC)).
Past sponsorship or register membership never guarantees sponsorship for this vacancy or for you. Full Sponsor Radar for Sambanova Systems INC →
About the role
SambaNova is a leader in next-generation AI infrastructure, delivering a full-stack inference platform for customers worldwide. At the core of SambaNova's technology is the RDU (Reconfigurable Dataflow Unit) — a chip built on a dataflow architecture rather than the traditional GPU model. Its decode performance is especially strong for agentic workloads like multi-turn agents, code generation, and long-running applications. RDUs are packaged into SambaRack, rack-scale hardware that lets customers deploy state-of-the-art models with better performance, greater energy efficiency, and faster time to value. 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. Responsibilities • Own kernel-space drivers for high-speed IO, memory, and networking subsystems, from architecture through production release • Own the RDMA and network data path, including queue-pair management, congestion control, QoS, and packet classification • Lead software enablement for platform bring-up across new silicon and system configurations • Drive issues to root cause across kernel, firmware, and hardware layers with hardware, firmware, and validation teams • Own PHY and link bring-up in coordination with hardware teams, working from specifications and register documentation • Build tools, test scripts, and frameworks for device and NIC verification, performance analysis, and manufacturing test • Identify and resolve bottlenecks across driver, network stack, and system layers at data center scale • Set code quality standards through design and code review, and mentor engineers on the team Required Qualifications • MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field • 7+ years of experience in kernel or low-level system software development • Deep expertise in Linux systems programming and kernel driver development • Strong knowledge of Linux kernel networking, including network driver development and the RDMA protocol • Strong C/C++ programming and debugging skills, with scripting in Python or shell • Experience with two or more high-speed IO or interconnect technologies such as PCIe, Ethernet, or CXL • Proven ability to lead hardware-software co-debug from first silicon to production • Ability to read and distill hardware specifications and register-level documentation • Clear and effective communicator with a proactive, collaborative approach to problem-solving Preferred Qualifications • Hands-on RDMA data-path or driver implementation experience • Experience with virtual switching and data center networking at scale • Experience writing test scripts to verify NIC behavior • Firmware development experience • Exposure to pre-silicon validation using FPGA or emulation platforms • Background in high-performance computing or accelerator-based systems Base Salary Range: Base Pay Range $180,000 — $255,000 USD Submission Guidelines Please note that in order to be considered an applicant for any position at SambaNova Systems, you must submit an application form for each position for which you believe you are qualified. EEO Policy SambaNova