Hardware Design Engineer, AI Inference Engine

ElastixAI INC.; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation and equity

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage

Flexible Time Off

Company-sponsored 401K Plan

Gym or fitness benefit

Investment in employee learning & development

Job summary

A pioneering AI startup is seeking a hands-on Hardware Design Engineer to contribute to the AI inference engine's design. You will engage in deep technical work, translating AI models into efficient hardware designs. The role requires collaboration with ML and software engineers and focuses on high-performance computing tailored to specific needs. This position is located in Seattle and offers a hybrid work model, along with competitive compensation and benefits, including comprehensive health coverage and a flexible time-off policy.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in hardware design focused on AI/ML acceleration.
• Deep understanding of modern AI/ML models, particularly LLMs.
• Proficiency in Verilog or SystemVerilog for hardware design.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to architectural design of AI inference engine.
• Collaborate with ML engineers to align hardware with ML strategies.
• Define hardware-software interface with software engineers.

Skills

Hardware design

AI/ML acceleration

Verilog/SystemVerilog

Problem-solving

Communication skills

Education

BS, MS or PhD in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related field

Tools

Performance modeling tools

Simulation tools

Job description

About Elastix AI

We are building the next-gen AI inference platform.

Description

Location: Seattle, WA (Hybrid - 3 days/week in office)

About ElastixAI:

ElastixAI is an early‑stage startup poised to revolutionize AI inference infrastructure. We are developing a cutting‑edge AI inference solution that dramatically improves efficiency through a holistic co‑design approach, spanning from machine learning optimizations and a highly specialized software stack to the inference engine and underlying cloud hardware. We believe in providing a customizable and optimal inference experience, much like tailoring a high‑performance computing system to specific needs.

Role Summary:

We are seeking a visionary and hands‑on Hardware Design Engineer to contribute to the design, definition, and implementation of our core AI inference engine. This is a deeply technical role where you will be instrumental in translating AI into a highly efficient hardware design. You will be at the center of our co‑design philosophy, working to ensure our inference engine is perfectly harmonized with our ML strategies, software stack, and cloud hardware targets to deliver unparalleled performance and efficiency for next‑generation AI models.

Key Responsibilities:

• Contribute to the architectural definition, design, and implementation of a novel AI inference engine optimized for our specific ML workloads.
• Collaborate closely with ML engineers to understand and influence ML directions.
• Work hand‑in‑hand with software engineers to define a seamless hardware‑software interface, ensuring the inference engine is highly programmable, efficient, and easy to integrate into our broader software stack and compiler.
• Partner with cloud engineers to ensure the inference engine architecture aligns with target cloud hardware capabilities, deployment strategies, and performance/cost objectives.
• Model and analyze the performance, power, and area (PPA) trade‑offs of different architectural choices.
• Stay at the forefront of AI accelerator research, identifying emerging techniques and technologies relevant to our co‑design approach.
• Contribute to the RTL design, simulation, and verification efforts for the inference engine components.
• Drive the hardware roadmap for the inference engine, anticipating future AI model trends and optimization opportunities.
• Foster a culture of innovation and technical excellence within a highly interdisciplinary engineering team.

Required Qualifications:

• BS, MS or PhD in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
• Proven experience (5+ years) in hardware design, with a strong focus on designing/implementing hardware for AI/ML acceleration.
• Deep understanding of modern AI/ML models, particularly LLMs, and their computational characteristics.
• Experience with hardware implementation of ML optimization techniques (e.g., sparsity, quantization, pruning).
• Proficiency in Verilog or SystemVerilog for RTL design and simulation.
• Strong understanding of memory system architecture, on‑chip interconnects, parallel processing, and distributed computing.
• Excellent problem‑solving skills and the ability to analyze complex systems.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with a demonstrated ability to work effectively in a highly interdisciplinary environment, collaborating with ML, software, and cloud/systems engineers.
• Ability to thrive in a fast‑paced, dynamic startup environment with a strong bias for action/execution.

Preferred/Bonus Qualifications:

• Knowledge of compiler technologies for AI models (e.g., MLIR, TVM).
• Familiarity with performance modeling and analysis tools.
• Experience with system‑level integration and debugging.
• Contributions to relevant research publications or open‑source projects.
• Understanding of cloud computing environments and deploying hardware accelerators in the cloud.
• High‑speed inter‑chip networking experience.

What We Offer

• A chance to be a foundational engineer in an innovative AI startup.
• A dynamic and collaborative work environment and the chance to have a significant impact on new technology.
• The opportunity to work on challenging problems at the intersection of ML, software, and systems.
• Competitive compensation and startup equity package.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage (100% paid by employer).
• Flexible Time Off (FTO).
• Paid parental leave.
• Company‑sponsored 401K Plan.
• Gym or fitness benefit.
• Commuter benefit.
• Investment in employee learning & development.