Semiconductor maker AMD is moving forward with plans to move into cloud computing and roll out new hardware and software products. The company wants to hire more than 1,000 tech professionals worldwide, primarily design engineers, software professionals and IT specialists. The highest number of technical positions are for design and verification engineers. They're needed at every AMD location including its facilities in California, Texas, Orlando, Boston and Canada. They'll help test, validate, find and correct errors in the hardware and software development processes. "We look for (design engineers) with a very good knowledge of computer architecture, good software skills including C and C++, and specific verification experience and knowledge," says Lance Phillips, AMD's Global Talent Acquisition Lead. Since AMD supports open-source software, it looks for software engineers skilled in Linux development, C/C++, Ruby and Java, primarily for its offices in Sunnyvale, Calif., and Toronto. Also, the company seeks OpenGL and OpenCL software developers who know C/C++ and graphics. To a lesser degree, AMD's looking for firmware developers to work in Austin, Texas. They'll develop software to validate products and should be skilled in Linux environments using C/C++, Ruby, Java, and x86 assembly. Previous firmware development experience helps. On the hardware side, analog design engineers with backgrounds in electrical engineering and specific ClSI and ASIC design skills are needed. AMD says it maintains a start-up mentality even though it's a large company. "It means candidates and employees who are good fit are those who like to work beyond typical boundaries and beyond a job description," says Phillips. "They have the ability to impact projects and work on interesting things that stretch beyond normal work boundaries." -- Chandler Harris