What Federal data on H-1B visa reveals how much base pay Nvidia offers software engineers, research scientists, managers and directors

TOI Tech Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Jun 02, 2026, 14:09 IST

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What Federal data on H-1B visa reveals how much base pay Nvidia offers software engineers, research scientists, managers and directors

Federal data on H-1B visas reveals how much Nvidia is paying foreign workers across key roles, underscoring the chipmaker’s determination to attract top talent despite a broader slowdown in tech immigration, according to a report by Business Insider. While rivals like Google and Amazon have back on sponsorship amid the Trump administration’s crackdown, Nvidia obtained certification for roughly 1,200 H‑1B positions in the first half of fiscal 2026 which is up from 1,000 a year earlier. As per the federal filing, Nvidia’s pay scale spans a wide range across disciplines. The salaries include:

AI researchers: Research Scientist ($104,000–$356,500); Principal Research Scientist ($272,000–$431,250)
Architects: Architect ($131,362–$356,500); Principal Architect ($248,000–$425,500); Solutions Architect ($139,235–$356,500)
Chip engineers: ASIC Engineer ($136,000–$368,000); Senior Physical Design Engineer ($160,481–$310,500); Verification Engineer ($119,184–$310,500)
Software engineers: Senior Software Engineer ($139,152–$356,500); Principal Software Engineer ($264,514–$425,500); Systems Software Engineer ($131,997–$287,500)
Managers and directors: Architecture Director ($320,000–$488,750); Software Engineering Director ($388,918–$471,500); Senior Manager, Systems Software ($272,000–$431,250)

Nvidia’s aggressive hiring strategy

As reported by Business Insider, the data shows the aggressive hiring strategy of Nvidia. The H-1B approvals of Google fell from 5,100 to 2,200 year‑over‑year, whereas that of Amazon dropped from 6,100 to 4,300. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has long stressed on the fact that he gets personally involved in compensation decisions. “I review everybody’s compensation up to this day at the end of every cycle,” Huang said on the All-In podcast last July. He also claimed to have “created more billionaires on my management team than any CEO in the world.” Despite this, the employees of the company acknowledge that those who joined Nvidia earlier have benefited far more from equity appreciation than newer hires, a disparity openly discussed within the company.

Here’s a structured table of Nvidia’s H‑1B base salary ranges across key roles, based on federal filings:

Role	Salary Range (USD)
Research Scientist	$104,000 – $356,500
Principal Research Scientist	$272,000 – $431,250
Senior Research Scientist	$134,971 – $356,500
Architect	$131,362 – $356,500
Principal Architect	$248,000 – $425,500
Senior Architect	$148,000 – $356,500
Solutions Architect	$139,235 – $356,500
ASIC Engineer	$136,000 – $368,000
Hardware Engineer, Electronics	$96,000 – $310,500
Product Development Engineer	$131,362 – $322,000
Senior ASIC Engineer	$163,925 – $310,500
Senior Mixed Signal Design Engineer	$163,494 – $310,500
Senior Physical Design Engineer	$160,481 – $310,500
Senior Verification Engineer	$135,907 – $310,500
System Design Engineer	$157,857 – $322,000
Test Engineer	$128,000 – $287,500
Verification Engineer	$119,184 – $310,500
DevOps Engineer	$144,000 – $333,500
Distinguished AI Algorithms Engineer	$308,000 – $471,500
Principal Software Engineer	$264,514 – $425,500
Principal Systems Software Engineer	$272,000 – $431,250
Senior Network Infrastructure Engineer	$136,000 – $333,500
Senior Software Engineer	$139,152 – $356,500
Senior Systems Software Engineer	$139,152 – $356,500
Software Engineer	$108,000 – $391,000
Systems Software Engineer	$131,997 – $287,500
Architecture Director	$320,000 – $488,750
Developer Relations Director	$308,000 – $471,500
Hardware Engineering Director	$284,000 – $431,250
Hardware Engineering Manager	$196,000 – $368,000
Product Manager	$198,702 – $379,500
Program Manager	$161,034 – $322,000
Senior Manager, Systems Software	$272,000 – $431,250
Software Engineering Director	$388,918 – $471,500
Systems Software Manager	$184,000 – $356,500

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