As part of the Systems Planning and Architecture (SPARC) group, you will help strategize and architect compute platforms, storage and related technologies that create advantages for Azure and Microsoft. You will collaborate across the Azure organization to evaluate next-generation datacenter technologies, influencing internal Microsoft silicon, systems development and industry partners. You’ll be at the forefront of innovation, shaping the future of cloud infrastructure.  You will play a critical role in identifying and analyzing architectural features for future datacenter platforms and SOC technologies. Your work will directly impact Microsoft’s cloud strategy, enabling smarter decisions for total cost of ownership, performance, power, cost, and sustainability. You’ll gain deep expertise in cloud usage, emerging technologies, and architectural modeling, with opportunities for continuous learning and growth. This is a hybrid role, supporting flexible work with up to 40%-time work from home.  Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond. Required Qualifications:<ul><li>Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field AND 3+ years technical engineering experience <ul><li>OR Bachelors Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field AND 5+ years technical engineering experience </li><li>OR equivalent experience.</li></ul></li><li>3+ years of relevant experience in hardware engineering and computer architecture. </li><li>3+ years of experience with programming and scripting languages (C or Python).</li></ul>Other Requirements: Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings: <ul><li>Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud Background Check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter. </li></ul>Preferred Qualifications:  <ul><li>Experience with server platform and workload analysis. </li><li>Experience with Compute SOC performance and power analysis. </li><li>Experience with TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) modeling. </li><li>Expertise in high level modeling and simulation of architecture features. </li><li>Expertise in Data Analysis and knowledge of sustainability metrics. </li><li>Strong analytical and problem-solving skills , and communication/documentation skills. </li></ul>You’ll have significant opportunities to learn about cloud usage and emerging datacenter technologies. Microsoft supports your growth through training, mentorship, and career development programs. This role offers hybrid work flexibility, with upto 40% work from home time.Hardware Engineering IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $119,800 - $234,700 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $158,400 - $258,000 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: <a href="https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay" target="_blank">https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay</a> Microsoft will accept applications for the role until October 31st, 2025. Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances.  We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the <a href="https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/accommodationrequest" target="_blank">Accommodation request form</a>. Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.<ul><li>Develop engineering-quality high-level models to evaluate total cost of ownership (TCO), performance, power, and sustainability, enabling data-driven decisions to assess and compare platform and SOC technologies for future datacenter solutions. </li><li>Build KPI models for Azure SaaS segments (such as M365, MS-SQL, and CosmosDB) to guide architecture decisions and enable effective hardware/software co-design. </li><li>Analyze cloud workload taxonomy to identify and categorize different workload types, and determine which SOC or platform features best support each workload category, enabling targeted architectural recommendations for optimal performance and efficiency. </li><li>Analyze fleet telemetry data to enhance Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) models.</li><li>Support the development of sustainability metrics and integration into architectural tradeoffs. </li></ul>