AI Performance Engineer (Cloud AI Engineering), Sr | Staff | Sr. Staff

Qualcomm; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 178,400 - 267,600; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive annual discretionary bonus

RSU grants

Highly competitive benefits package

Job summary

Qualcomm in San Diego is looking for an AI Engineer specializing in machine learning. You will convert and optimize models, analyze performance, and collaborate across teams to advance AI technologies.

The ideal candidate should have extensive hands-on experience with PyTorch and ONNX, deep knowledge of transformer architectures, and a relevant master's or PhD degree. This position offers a competitive salary and benefits package.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of engineering experience with relevant degrees.
• Hands-on experience in production-grade environments.
• Deep understanding of performance trade-offs.

Responsibilities

• Convert, optimize, and deploy models for inference.
• Analyze performance of AI workloads.
• Collaborate with teams to drive solutions.

Skills

Building and optimizing language models

Python programming

Understanding transformer architectures

Machine learning compilers

Problem-solving skills

Education

MS in Computer Science or related field

PhD in Computer Science or related field

Tools

PyTorch

ONNX

Job description

Company: Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Job Area: Engineering Group > Machine Learning Engineering

General Summary: Qualcomm is utilizing its traditional strengths in digital wireless technologies to play a central role in the evolution of Cloud AI. The Qualcomm Cloud AI team is developing hardware and software solutions for Inference Acceleration.

Responsibilities

• Convert, optimize and deploy models for efficient inference using PyTorch and ONNX.
• Work at the forefront of GenAI by understanding advanced algorithms (e.g., attention mechanisms, MoEs) and numerics to identify new optimization opportunities.
• Analyze performance and optimize LLM, VLM, and diffusion models for inference, scaling performance for throughput and latency constraints.
• Map next-generation AI workloads on top of current and future hardware designs.
• Collaborate with customers and internal compiler, firmware, and platform teams to drive solutions.
• Analyze complex performance or stability issues to determine root causes.
• Create engineering solutions that deliver continuous insights into performance of AI workloads, guiding improvements over time.
• Design and implement high-level kernels (e.g., in Triton) focused on generating efficient, low-level code.

Qualifications

• Hands‑on experience building and optimizing language models, notably in PyTorch and ONNX, preferably in production‑grade environments.
• Deep understanding of transformer architectures, attention mechanisms, and performance trade‑offs.
• Experience with workload‑mapping strategies exhibiting sharding or various parallelisms.
• Strong Python programming skills.
• Proactive learning about the latest inference optimization techniques.
• Understanding of computer architecture, ML accelerators, in‑memory processing, and distributed systems.
• Strong communication, problem‑solving skills, and ability to work effectively in a fast‑paced, collaborative environment.
• MS in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Computer Engineering, or Electrical Engineering.

Bonus Skills

• Background in neural network operators and mathematical operations, including linear algebra and math libraries.
• Understanding of machine learning compilers.
• Experience in converging accuracy and its evaluation methods.
• Knowledge of torch.compile or torchDynamo.
• PhD in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or Machine Learning.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field and 6+ years of hardware, software, or systems engineering experience.
• Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field and 5+ years of hardware, software, or systems engineering experience.
• PhD in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field and 4+ years of hardware, software, or systems engineering experience.

Compensation & Benefits

• Pay range: $178,400.00 – $267,600.00.
• Competitive annual discretionary bonus program and annual RSU grants.
• Highly competitive benefits package.

Qualcomm is an equal opportunity employer. If you are an individual with a disability and need accommodation during the application/hiring process, Qualcomm is committed to providing an accessible process and will provide reasonable accommodations to support participation.