Foreign hiring has slowed across tech, with the Trump administration's immigration crackdown prompting some firms to reduce H-1B visa sponsorships.
Nvidia, one of the most coveted employers in the field, appears largely undeterred. Federal filings suggest Nvidia is spending aggressively to maintain its lead in the AI race, hiring across both hardware and software roles while also staffing up on customer-facing positions to help deploy its systems widely.
Nvidia obtained certification for roughly 1,200 H-1B roles during the first two quarters of fiscal 2026, according to federal data. That's up from roughly 1,000 certifications over the same period last year.
Meanwhile, other tech giants have pulled back. Google had roughly 2,200 approved H-1B hires during the second quarter of this year, down from 5,100 the year prior, while Amazon fell from roughly 6,100 approvals to 4,300 over the same period.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who was born in Taiwan, has called immigrants crucial to the company's mission.
Nvidia's soaring stock price has made equity a major component of compensation, and the chipmaker also offers hefty salaries to attract top talent.
While Nvidia does not publicly disclose all its salary data, federal filings required for companies to hire foreign workers offer a window into how much it pays for key roles. The filings reflect only base salary — not stock awards or bonuses that can dramatically increase compensation.
Software engineers and research scientists can earn as much as $391,000 and $356,500 in base pay, respectively, while managers and directors are also highly compensated, according to federal data on H-1B hires.
Product managers can earn up to $379,500, hardware engineering managers can earn up to $368,000, and directors can earn as much as $488,750. Top engineering roles, such as principal systems software engineers and distinguished AI algorithm engineers, can also take home well over $400,000 in base pay.
Here's how much the AI chip designer pays across key roles.
AI researcher salaries
Research Scientist: $104,000 to $356,500
Principal Research Scientist: $272,000 to $431,250
Senior Research Scientist: $134,971 to $356,500
Architect salaries
Architect: $131,362 to $356,500
Principal Architect: $248,000 to $425,500
Senior Architect: $148,000 to $356,500
Solutions Architect: $139,235 to $356,500
Chip engineer salaries
ASIC Engineer: $136,000 to $368,000
Hardware Engineer, Electronics: $96,000 to $310,500
Product Development Engineer: $131,362 to $322,000
Senior ASIC Engineer: $163,925 to $310,500
Senior Mixed Signal Design Engineer: $163,494 to $310,500
Senior Physical Design Engineer: $160,481 to $310,500
Senior Verification Engineer: $135,907 to $310,500
System Design Engineer: $157,857 to $322,000
Test Engineer: $128,000 to $287,500
Verification Engineer: $119,184 to $310,500
Infrastructure and software engineer salaries
Dev Ops Engineer: $144,000 to $333,500
Distinguished AI Algorithms Engineer: $308,000 to $471,500
Principal Software Engineer: $264,514 to $425,500
Principal Systems Software Engineer: $272,000 to $431,250
Senior Network Infrastructure Engineer: $136,000 to $333,500
Senior Software Engineer: $139,152 to $356,500
Senior Systems Software Engineer: $139,152 to $356,500
Software Engineer: $108,000 to $391,000
Systems Software Engineer: $131,997 to $287,500
Manager and director salaries
Architecture Director: $320,000 to $488,750
Developer Relations Director: $308,000 to $471,500
Hardware Engineering Director: $284,000 to $431,250
Hardware Engineering Manager: $196,000 to $368,000
Product Manager: $198,702 to $379,500
Program Manager: $161,034 to $322,000
Senior Manager, Systems Software: $272,000 to $431,250
Software Engineering Director: $388,918 to $471,500
Systems Software Manager: $184,000 to $356,500
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Geoff Weiss is a senior reporter on Business Insider’s tech team, where he writes about AI startups and Y Combinator, the intersection of AI and the media industry, and workplace dynamics within top AI labs and chip companies.Previously, Geoff was on the media desk, covering YouTube and Netflix, and themes like the intersection of Hollywood and the creator economy. His work on Netflix’s video podcasting ambitions and Mr Beast’s lessons for Hollywood won second and first prize, respectively, at the 2025 LA Press Club Awards.Prior to joining Business Insider, Geoff was the senior editor of Tubefilter and a staff writer at Entrepreneur. He graduated from New York University with a degree in English Literature.He can be reached at [email protected], on Signal @geoffweiss.25, and on LinkedIn. Have a tip? Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.Selected stories:Nvidia crushed its quarter — and CEO Jensen Huang said in a leaked all-hands that 'the market did not appreciate it'Nvidia will foot the bill for Trump's new visa fees. Here's what CEO Jensen Huang told staff.Massive AI salaries and RTO are fueling a real estate boom in San Francisco: 'It's going to rain money'The AI talent wars are ricocheting across startups. Here's how they're competing with Big Tech.
