Director of Silicon Characterization

At Kandou , we are redefining the economics of AI infrastructure. Our mission is to democratise AI by significantly reducing the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of hardware systems — a critical barrier to scalable adoption.

Our proprietary MIMO-over-copper technology powers a high-performance, chiplet-based AI memory fabric that is both scalable and energy-efficient . Unlike traditional interconnects, our solution reduces power consumption significantly while preserving high bandwidth and ultra-low latency — unlocking unprecedented efficiency for AI training and inference at scale.

Kandou’s architecture is not just an incremental improvement — it’s a foundational shift in how AI hardware is built for the future.

Job Title: Director of Silicon Characterization

Location: Saint-Sulpice, Switzerland

Responsibility

• Own the silicon characterization strategy and execution for multiple product programs, from first silicon through validation closure and release readiness.

• Lead development of comprehensive validation plans, schedules, resource allocation, and execution tracking across projects and locations.

• Oversee development of scripts, automation frameworks, and program infrastructure for IC validation, characterization, and ATE interfacing.

• Ensure rigorous and timely execution of silicon bring-up, debug, validation, and characterization for SerDes-based and other high-speed products central to Kandou AI’s portfolio.

• Drive the definition, specification, and review of evaluation boards and reference hardware required for lab validation and customer enablement.

• Support customer demos, technical evaluations, and issue resolution involving silicon, EVMs, and validation data.

• Co-own silicon validation, characterization, and test reporting, ensuring clear communication of status, risks, correlation, and readiness.

• Partner closely with design, product engineering, quality, applications, and operations teams to accelerate debug cycles and improve silicon learning.

Required Skills

• Strong understanding of validation and characterization requirements for high volume semiconductor products and IP.

• Ability to define validation coverage from product specifications and translate it into structured test plans, milestones, and resource plans.

• Effective collaboration with analog, digital, DfT, product, and applications teams to review and finalize validation strategy.

• Ability to lead teams and coordinate execution across multiple sites and external partners.

• Sound judgment in selecting methods, tools, and trade-offs for technical problem solving.

• Experience evaluating lab and test equipment, managing vendors, and supporting procurement decisions.

• Good understanding of budgeting, lab investment planning, productivity, and cost management.

• Flexible, pragmatic, and execution-oriented when addressing unexpected silicon or lab issues.

Required Experience

• 10+ years of experience in the semiconductor industry, with deep expertise in IC bring-up, validation, characterization, and ATE interface development.

• Strong hands-on experience in high-speed or high-frequency signal measurement, lab automation, and validation environments.

• Proven expertise with instruments and methods used for electrical and compliance testing, including BERTs, oscilloscopes, and signal analyzers.

• Experience with SerDes-based products is strongly preferred and especially relevant for Kandou AI’s technology roadmap.

• Good understanding of high-speed multilayer reference PCB or evaluation board design for products with demanding signal integrity requirements.

• Experience supporting customers through evaluation, debug, demonstrations, or product adoption activities.

Education

• Bachelor´s or Master’s degree in Electronic Engineering or relevant field.

www.kandou.ai