Hardware Engineer, Test

OpenAI; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 177,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

OpenAI’s Hardware team builds AI-native silicon and systems to power advanced data centers. As a Hardware Test Engineer, you will design and execute test plans for processors, memory, accelerators, and interconnects to ensure reliability, performance, and scalability of our supercomputing hardware.

You will collaborate across hardware design, manufacturing, and firmware, developing Python/Bash automation and maintaining lab equipment to support rapid, accurate testing in a fast‑paced environment.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in hardware testing for datacenter or AI workloads.
• Strong debugging and problem-solving abilities for complex hardware issues.
• Experience with high-speed interconnects and SerDes.
• Proficiency with test instruments like oscilloscopes, power supplies, analyzers.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and execute comprehensive hardware test plans for processors, memory, accelerators, and interconnects.
• Collaborate with hardware design, manufacturing, firmware, and vendors to diagnose and resolve issues.
• Develop automation scripts in Python and Bash to streamline testing.
• Maintain lab equipment and ensure reliable lab operations, including oscilloscopes and thermal systems.

Skills

Hardware testing

Test automation

Python

Bash

Lab operations

Oscilloscopes

Tools

Cadence Allegro

Oscilloscopes

Power analyzers

VNA

Job description

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.

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.

In This Role You Will

• 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.
• You will bring a strong understanding of hardware system testing, excellent project management skills, and the ability to collaborate across multiple teams to ensure efficient lab operations.
• You will be responsible for designing, implementing, and executing comprehensive test plans that ensure the reliability, performance, and scalability of our supercomputing hardware systems. You will develop detailed test plans and methodologies tailored to hardware components, including processors, memory modules, custom accelerators and interconnects.
• You will collaborate with hardware design, manufacturing, firmware teams and vendors to identify, analyze, and resolve issues affecting hardware, power, thermal and high‑speed interconnects. You will perform in‑depth debugging on the hardware system
  • Excellent analytical skills to diagnose hardware issues, troubleshoot problems, and propose solutions. Ability to interpret complex test data, identify trends, and draw meaningful conclusions.
  • High‑speed links, with a focus on SerDes (Serializer/Deserializer) technology to assess signal integrity, error rates, and overall link performance.
• You will collaborate with the lab manager to maintain the equipment and hardware systems, including oscilloscopes, thermal test chambers, liquid cooling systems, and other measurement devices.
• You will utilize advanced diagnostic and measurement tools to capture performance metrics and analyze system behavior. You will develop and maintain automation scripts to streamline testing processes. Proficiency in Python, Bash and test automation frameworks to develop automated test scripts is highly desired.
• Effective communication to clearly document test results, report defects, and collaborate with cross‑functional teams.

You Might Thrive In This Role If You

• Have 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.
• Have a strong understanding of electrical, power and thermal testing methodologies.
• Have expertise with protocol of common interfaces such as SPI, I2C, USB, DDRx, and have 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.
• Have a strong bias toward action, and won’t take no for an answer.
• Have experience and good knowledge of system testing from xPUs, board, rack level to data center level
• Have a strong intrinsic desire to learn and fill in missing skills; and an equally strong talent for sharing that information clearly and concisely with others.
• Are comfortable with ambiguity and rapidly changing conditions.
• Have excellent analytical, problem‑solving, and troubleshooting skills.

To comply with U.S. export control laws and regulations, candidates for this role may need to meet certain legal status requirements as provided in those laws and regulations.

About OpenAI

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 Aff…

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. For unincorporated Los Angeles County workers: we reasonably believe that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship with the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment: protect computer hardware entrusted to you from theft, loss or damage; return all computer hardware in your possession (including the data contained therein) upon termination of employment or end of assignment; and maintain confidentiality of proprietary, confidential, and non‑public information. In addition, job duties require access to secure and protected information technology systems and related data security obligations.

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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.

Compensation Range: $177K - $300K