Scale Engineer

L10

Software EngineerFellowVery High

The L10 Fellow Software Engineer interview at AMD is a rigorous process designed to assess candidates for the highest technical leadership roles within the company. It focuses on deep technical expertise, strategic thinking, architectural vision, and the ability to influence and mentor across large engineering teams. Candidates are expected to demonstrate a proven track record of solving complex, large-scale problems and driving significant technical innovation.

Rounds·4

Timeline·~60d

Experience·15 - 20 yrs

Comp band·US$250000 - US$350000

Interview time·210 min

Evaluation

What they measure.

  • Depth and breadth of technical knowledge
  • Problem-solving skills for complex, ambiguous challenges
  • Architectural design and system thinking
  • Leadership and influence across teams
  • Mentorship and talent development capabilities
  • Strategic thinking and long-term vision
  • Communication and collaboration skills
  • Adaptability and learning agility

Preparation

How to prepare.

Tips

  1. Deeply understand AMD's products, technologies, and strategic goals.
  2. Review fundamental computer science concepts, especially in areas relevant to AMD's business (e.g., computer architecture, operating systems, distributed systems, graphics, AI/ML).
  3. Prepare detailed examples from your career that showcase leadership, complex problem-solving, architectural design, and mentorship.
  4. Practice explaining complex technical concepts clearly and concisely.
  5. Research the interviewers if possible to understand their areas of expertise.
  6. Be ready to discuss your career aspirations and how they align with AMD's future.
  7. Prepare thoughtful questions for the interviewers about the role, team, and company direction.

Study plan

Fig · Study plan — 04 phases

01 / 04
01

Phase 01 of 04

Foundation Building

Weeks 1-2: AMD Products & Architecture Fundamentals.

Weeks 1-2: Deep dive into AMD's current product portfolio (CPUs, GPUs, FPGAs, Adaptive SoCs), recent innovations, and strategic roadmap. Understand the competitive landscape and AMD's market position. Review core computer architecture principles, including instruction set architectures (ISAs), pipelining, memory hierarchies, and cache coherence.

Questions

Commonly asked.

  • Describe the most technically challenging project you've led. What were the key architectural decisions and their impact?
  • How do you approach mentoring and developing senior technical talent within an organization?
  • Tell me about a time you had to influence a large group of engineers or stakeholders to adopt a new technology or approach.
  • What are the biggest challenges facing the semiconductor industry today, and how can AMD address them?
  • Design a system for [complex problem relevant to AMD, e.g., large-scale simulation, real-time data processing for gaming, efficient power management across a chip]. Discuss trade-offs and scalability.
  • How do you stay current with rapidly evolving technologies, and how do you foster a culture of continuous learning in your teams?
  • Describe a time you failed on a project. What did you learn, and how did you apply those learnings?
  • What is your philosophy on technical debt and how do you manage it?
  • How would you architect a next-generation platform for AI inference that balances performance, power efficiency, and cost?
  • Discuss your experience with cross-functional collaboration, particularly with hardware engineering teams.

Locations

Regional differences.

Fig · Regions — 03 locations

01 / 03

Location

Austin

Interview focus

Hardware-software co-designPerformance optimization at the system levelCross-functional collaboration and influence

Common questions

  • Discuss a time you had to influence a team with a different technical direction. What was the outcome?
  • Describe a complex system you designed that had a significant impact on the business. What were the key trade-offs?
  • How do you approach mentoring junior engineers to become senior leaders?
  • What are the emerging trends in semiconductor design/software that excite you, and how might AMD leverage them?
  • In our Austin office, there's a strong emphasis on hardware-software co-design. Be prepared to discuss your experience in this area.

Tips

  • Highlight any experience with AMD's product lines or competitive landscape.
  • Be ready to discuss your contributions to open-source communities if applicable.
  • Emphasize your ability to work with diverse teams and stakeholders.

Rounds

Round-by-round.

Expand a step for evaluation criteria, sample questions, and prep notes.

DSA

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