Hardware Systems Debug Engineer: Root-Cause Expert

Foundation Capital; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 190,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Cerebras Systems in Sunnyvale, CA is seeking an Electrical Engineer to bring the world’s largest compute systems from design to production and maintain them in the field. You will diagnose multi-domain failures down to silicon, PCB, component, or system level, and feed learnings back into next-generation Cerebras hardware.

The role requires remote diagnosis of deployed systems using Linux tools, logs, and telemetry.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field.
• 3-5+ years of experience in hardware bring-up, system integration, board/system debug, or failure analysis.
• Strong analytical, diagnostic, and problem‑solving skills, grounded in first principles.
• Hands‑on experience with oscilloscopes and standard electrical bench instrumentation.
• Scripting experience, preferably Python, for data analysis and automation.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to distill complex technical findings into clear, concise insights.

Responsibilities

• Characterize failure signatures and perform hands‑on troubleshooting at the system, board, and component level.
• Drive failure analysis to root cause—down to silicon, PCB, or external components—using structured, first‑principles problem solving.
• Remotely diagnose failures in deployed systems using Linux command‑line tools, system logs, telemetry, diagnostic utilities, and remote‑access workflows.
• Analyze and document results clearly, and provide actionable recommendations to design and manufacturing teams.
• Interface across internal groups (ASIC, systems, and manufacturing) and with external vendors to resolve issues and close corrective actions.
• Participate in design reviews for next‑generation systems, contributing recommendations spanning electrical design‑for‑test (DFT), mechanical, and thermal improvements.

Skills

Scripting (Python)

Diagnostics / Troubleshooting

Root-cause Analysis

Hardware bring-up

Linux command line

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Oscilloscopes

Bench instrumentation

Job description

Cerebras Systems builds the world's largest AI chip, 56 times larger than GPUs. This architecture allows Cerebras to deliver industry-leading training and inference speeds; over 10 times faster than GPU-based hyperscale cloud inference services.

This order of magnitude increase in speed is transforming the user experience of AI applications, unlocking real-time iteration and increasing intelligence via additional agentic computation.

Cerebras works with the leading model labs, global enterprises, and cutting-edge AI-native startups. OpenAI recently announced a multi-year partnership with Cerebras, to deploy 750 megawatts of scale, transforming key workloads with ultra high-speed inference.

Role Summary

Bringing the world’s largest and most complex compute systems from design to production—and maintaining them in the field—demands deep integration and debugging expertise across electrical, thermal, and mechanical domains.

We are looking for a versatile Electrical Engineer who thrives at the bench—diagnosing complex, multi-domain failures and driving root cause to the silicon, PCB, component, or system level, and feeding those learnings back into the next generation of Cerebras hardware. The role also includes remotely diagnosing deployed systems using Linux tools, logs, and telemetry to guide recovery and service decisions.

This role is ideal for a curious, self-directed engineer who enjoys owning complex problems from initial failure detection through root cause and corrective action.

Responsibilities

• Characterize failure signatures and perform hands-on troubleshooting at the system, board, and component level.

• Drive failure analysis to root cause—down to silicon, PCB, or external components—using structured, first-principles problem solving.

• Remotely diagnose failures in deployed systems using Linux command-line tools, system logs, telemetry, diagnostic utilities, and remote-access workflows.

• Analyze and document results clearly, and provide actionable recommendations to design and manufacturing teams.

• Interface across internal groups (ASIC, systems, and manufacturing) and with external vendors to resolve issues and close corrective actions.

• Participate in design reviews for next-generation systems, contributing recommendations spanning electrical design-for-test (DFT), mechanical, and thermal improvements.

Skills & Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field.

• 3-5+ years of experience in hardware bring-up, system integration, board/system debug, or failure analysis.

• Strong analytical, diagnostic, and problem-solving skills, grounded in first principles.

• Strong drive to self-educate and operate with autonomy in fast-moving, ambiguous environments.

• Hands-on experience with oscilloscopes and standard electrical bench instrumentation.

• Scripting experience, preferably Python, for data analysis and automation.

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to distill complex technical findings into clear, concise insights.

Preferred:

• Comfort working in Linux environments and using command-line interfaces to inspect logs, query system state, run diagnostics, and troubleshoot compute hardware.

• Experience with failure analysis (FA) techniques such as cross-section, SEM, and X-ray.

• Experience working with Contract Manufacturers and implementing process and design level changes.

• Experience reading electrical schematics and board layouts.

• Familiarity with PCB design and assembly processes (e.g., PCB surface finishes, convection reflow, and solder properties).

• Understanding of thermal, electrical, and mechanical interactions in high-performance systems

Location: Sunnyvale, CA

The base salary range for this position is $190,000 to $230,000 annually. Actual compensation may include bonus and equity, and will be determined based on factors such as experience, skills, and qualifications.

Why Join Cerebras

People who are serious about software make their own hardware. At Cerebras, we have built a breakthrough architecture that is unlocking new opportunities for the AI industry. With dozens of model releases and rapid growth, we’ve reached an inflection point in our business. Members of our team tell us there are five main reasons they joined Cerebras:

1. Build a breakthrough AI platform beyond the constraints of the GPU.

2. Publish and open source their cutting-edge AI research.

3. Work on one of the fastest AI supercomputers in the world.

4. Enjoy job stability with startup vitality.

5. Our simple, non-corporate work culture that respects individual beliefs.

Find out more about what it's like to work at Cerebras here!

Apply today and become part of the forefront of groundbreaking advancements in AI!

Cerebras Systems is committed to creating an equal and diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate different backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We believe inclusive teams build better products and companies. We try every day to build a work environment that empowers people to do their best work through continuous learning, growth and support of those around them.

This website or its third-party tools process personal data. For more details, click here to review our CCPA disclosure notice.