About the Position

Hardware Engineer, Test

San Francisco

About the Team

OpenAI’s Hardware organization develops AI-native silicon and system-level solutions for the unique demands of advanced AI workloads. Building on efforts like Jalapeño, the team is developing future generations of AI-native silicon and tightly integrated systems to power the next generation of frontier models. By co-designing chips, systems, tools, and methodologies, the team helps deliver faster, more efficient, and production-ready hardware for OpenAI’s supercomputing platform.

Responsibilities

As a Hardware Test Engineer, you will work on Machine Learning/AI hardware system projects to craft the solutions for current and future data center deployments.
Design, implement, and execute comprehensive test plans that ensure the reliability, performance, and scalability of our supercomputing hardware systems.
Develop detailed test plans and methodologies tailored to hardware components, including processors, memory modules, custom accelerators, and interconnects.
Collaborate with hardware design, manufacturing, firmware teams, and vendors to identify, analyze, and resolve issues affecting hardware, power, thermal, and high-speed interconnects.
Perform in-depth debugging on the hardware system.
Utilize advanced diagnostic and measurement tools to capture performance metrics and analyze system behavior.
Develop and maintain automation scripts to streamline testing processes. Proficiency in Python, Bash, and test automation frameworks is highly desired.
Collaborate with the lab manager to maintain the equipment and hardware systems, including oscilloscopes, thermal test chambers, liquid cooling systems, and other measurement devices.
Effectively communicate to clearly document test results, report defects, and collaborate with cross-functional teams.

Requirements

At least 10 years of industry experience, including experience testing or supporting hardware design teams for datacenter applications.
Proven experience in hardware testing and validation, with hands-on experience with oscilloscopes, power supplies, analyzers, and other test instruments.
Strong understanding of electrical, power, and thermal testing methodologies.
Expertise with protocols of common interfaces such as SPI, I2C, USB, DDRx, and experience characterizing and verifying compliance of Datacenter Ethernet interfaces.
Hands-on experience with high-speed electrical and thermal test equipment such as oscilloscopes, VNA, TDR, thermal cameras, heat sinks, and test chambers.
Experience in using Cadence Allegro and automation/scripting.
Strong bias toward action, and won’t take no for an answer.
Experience and good knowledge of system testing from xPUs, board, rack level to data center level.
Strong intrinsic desire to learn and fill in missing skills; and an equally strong talent for sharing that information clearly and concisely with others.
Comfortable with ambiguity and rapidly changing conditions.
Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and troubleshooting skills.

Nice to Have

Proficiency in Python, Bash, and test automation frameworks.

We Offer

Opportunity to work in a cutting-edge AI research and deployment company.
Collaborative and innovative work environment.
Competitive compensation package.
Comprehensive benefits.

About the Company

OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. We push the boundaries of the capabilities of AI systems and seek to safely deploy them to the world through our products. AI is an extremely powerful tool that must be created with safety and human needs at its core, and to achieve our mission, we must encompass and value the many different perspectives, voices, and experiences that form the full spectrum of humanity.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristic.

For additional information, please see OpenAI’s Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement.

Background checks for applicants will be administered in accordance with applicable law, and qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment consistent with those laws, including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act, for US-based candidates.

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We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, and requests can be made via this link.

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At OpenAI, we believe artificial intelligence has the potential to help people solve immense global challenges, and we want the upside of AI to be widely shared. Join us in shaping the future of technology.

Hardware Engineer, Test

Job description