Job Summary:
AMD is a leader in next-generation computing experiences, focusing on AI and data centers. They are seeking a Principal Engineer to lead the performance and scalability of AI workloads on AMD GPUs, tackling complex challenges and defining long-term technical strategies.
Responsibilities:
• Lead a small team of engineers: set technical direction, prioritize work, and ensure delivery while remaining deeply hands-on
• Define and drive the long-term technical strategy for AI workload performance on AMD GPUs
• Own the most complex cross-stack performance challenges, from kernel optimization to framework-level architecture decisions
• Lead the design and implementation of novel GPU kernels, compiler optimizations, and framework features
• Establish performance methodology and roofline analysis practices that set the standard for the team
• Influence upstream roadmaps in major open-source AI frameworks (e.g., vLLM, SGLang, PyTorch)
• Drive architecture decisions for emerging inference paradigms (e.g., prefill-decode disaggregation, speculative decoding, distributed serving)
• Identify and close fundamental performance gaps between AMD and competitor platforms
• Serve as a technical authority across the organization, advising leadership on technical direction and feasibility
• Mentor engineers and raise the technical bar across the broader engineering organization
• Represent AMD externally through publications, conference talks, and open-source contributions
Qualifications:
Required:
• Hands-on technical team lead driving the performance and scalability of frontier AI workloads on AMD GPUs
• Lead a small team of engineers: set technical direction, prioritize work, and ensure delivery while remaining deeply hands-on
• Define and drive the long-term technical strategy for AI workload performance on AMD GPUs
• Own the most complex cross-stack performance challenges, from kernel optimization to framework-level architecture decisions
• Lead the design and implementation of novel GPU kernels, compiler optimizations, and framework features
• Establish performance methodology and roofline analysis practices that set the standard for the team
• Influence upstream roadmaps in major open-source AI frameworks (e.g., vLLM, SGLang, PyTorch)
• Drive architecture decisions for emerging inference paradigms (e.g., prefill-decode disaggregation, speculative decoding, distributed serving)
• Identify and close fundamental performance gaps between AMD and competitor platforms
• Serve as a technical authority across the organization, advising leadership on technical direction and feasibility
• Mentor engineers and raise the technical bar across the broader engineering organization
• Represent AMD externally through publications, conference talks, and open-source contributions
• Master's or PhD in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent. PhD strongly preferred.
Preferred:
• 10+ years of software development experience in GPU computing, HPC, or AI systems
• Deep understanding of GPU micro-architecture, memory hierarchy, instruction scheduling, and performance tradeoffs
• Deep understanding of end-to-end AI systems: model architectures, inference paradigms, and system/rack-level design
• Understanding of multi-GPU communication: scale-up (NVLink, xGMI, Infinity Fabric) and scale-out (RDMA, RCCL/NCCL) topologies and performance characteristics
• Experience designing and optimizing across the full stack: from low-level GPU kernels to frameworks and distributed serving systems
• Strong background in performance engineering, including profiling, roofline analysis, and bottleneck diagnosis at scale
• Experience with one or more of: HIP, CUDA, OpenCL, Triton/Gluon, CUTLASS, CK
• Experience with GPU compiler toolchains (e.g., LLVM) and intermediate representations (e.g., MLIR, LLVM IR, Triton IR) is a plus
• Hands-on experience contributing to or architecting major open-source AI frameworks (e.g., vLLM, SGLang, xDiT, Megatron LM, PyTorch)
• Strong proficiency in C++ (C++17 or later) and Python
• Experience leading small technical teams while remaining a hands-on contributor
• Track record of influencing technical direction across teams and organizations
• Strong Linux systems knowledge
• Excellent written and verbal English communication skills
• Published research or significant open-source contributions in GPU computing, HPC, or AI systems is a plus
Company:
Advanced Micro Devices is a semiconductor company that designs and develops graphics units, processors, and media solutions. Founded in 1969, the company is headquartered in Santa Clara, USA, with a team of 10001+ employees. The company is currently Late Stage.