Principal Software Engineer – PyTorch Training Frameworks

AMD; San Jose (CA); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work hours

Healthcare benefits

Collaborative team environment

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

A leading technology company is seeking a Principal Software Development Engineer to specialize in PyTorch training frameworks. This role involves optimizing AI training performance on AMD Instinct™ accelerators. The ideal candidate has significant experience in distributed training, deep knowledge of PyTorch internals, and can lead complex projects. Strong programming skills in Python and C++ are required. This hybrid position is based in San Jose, Seattle, or Austin, with a focus on innovation and technical leadership.

Qualifications

• Experience with Autograd, optimizers, and compilation paths in PyTorch.
• Ability to lead complex systems performance investigations.
• Strong foundation in multi-node debugging and optimization.

Responsibilities

• Act as a technical authority for PyTorch training at AMD.
• Drive optimization of PyTorch training workloads.
• Partner with teams to resolve performance and correctness issues.

Skills

Deep experience with PyTorch internals

Strong distributed training expertise

Proven track record in performance engineering

Strong programming skills in Python and C++

Clear technical communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or Electrical Engineering

Tools

PyTorch

CUDA/HIP

Job description

WHAT YOU DO AT AMD CHANGES EVERYTHING

At AMD, our mission is to build great products that accelerate next-generation computing experiences—from AI and data centers, to PCs, gaming and embedded systems. Grounded in a culture of innovation and collaboration, we believe real progress comes from bold ideas, human ingenuity and a shared passion to create something extraordinary. When you join AMD, you’ll discover the real differentiator is our culture. We push the limits of innovation to solve the world’s most important challenges—striving for execution excellence, while being direct, humble, collaborative, and inclusive of diverse perspectives. Join us as we shape the future of AI and beyond.

TOGETHER, WE ADVANCE YOUR CAREER

PRINCIPAL SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT ENGINEER – PYTORCH TRAINING FRAMEWORKS

AMD is looking for a Principal-level PyTorch training framework expert to help drive performance, scalability, and correctness of large-scale AI training on AMD Instinct™ accelerators. You will work at the intersection of PyTorch internals, distributed training, and hardware‑aware optimization, partnering closely with compiler, kernel, driver, and architecture teams to deliver industry‑leading training performance and developer experience.

THE PERSON

The ideal candidate is deeply hands‑on with PyTorch training and thrives on solving complex systems problems (performance, scaling, memory efficiency, distributed communication). You bring strong technical leadership, can influence architecture across teams, and are comfortable driving ambiguity to crisp execution. You communicate clearly with both engineers and stakeholders and can represent AMD credibly in upstream/open‑source discussions.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Act as a technical authority for PyTorch training at AMD, setting direction for performance, scalability, and reliability Drive optimization of key PyTorch training workloads (LLMs/foundation models) across single‑node and multi‑node systems
• Improve and debug training performance in areas such as DDP/FSDP, gradient checkpointing, mixed precision, memory planning, and communication/computation overlap
• Partner with ROCm compiler/runtime, kernel, and driver teams to resolve performance bottlenecks and correctness issues across the full stack
• Contribute to and influence upstream PyTorch (design discussions, code contributions, performance fixes, CI/debug)
• Develop and maintain representative training benchmarks, profiling workflows, and performance regression detection for key models
• Lead deep‑drive investigations of performance regressions and hard correctness issues; drive cross‑team resolution to closure
• Mentor engineers and raise the bar on framework‑quality code, performance engineering practices, and technical rigor
• Engage with strategic customers/partners on training enablement, root‑cause analysis, and best‑practices for AMD platforms

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE

• Deep experience with PyTorch internals and training systems (Autograd, optimizers, dataloading, compilation paths, runtime behavior)
• Strong distributed training expertise: DDP, FSDP, tensor/pipeline parallel concepts, collectives (NCCL/RCCL), multi‑node debugging
• Proven track record in performance engineering (profiling, tracing, kernel/runtime analysis, memory optimization, scaling studies)
• Strong programming skills in Python and C/C++ (ability to land clean, maintainable changes in large codebases)
• Familiarity with PyTorch ecosystem components such as TorchInductor / torch.compile, Triton, CUDA/HIP‑style programming models, and performance tooling
• Experience working across OS/hardware boundaries in Linux‑based environments (containers, CI, drivers/runtimes are a plus)
• Clear technical communication: design docs, code reviews, stakeholder updates, and cross‑team coordination
• Demonstrated ability to lead through influence (principal‑level impact, mentoring, and architectural decision‑making)

ACADEMIC CREDENTIALS

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent

LOCATION

San Jose, Seattle or Austin are preferred US locations (hybrid). Open to considering other US locations near AMD offices.

EEO STATEMENT

AMD and its subsidiaries are equal opportunity, inclusive employers and will consider all applicants without regard to age, ancestry, color, marital status, medical condition, mental or physical disability, national origin, race, religion, political and/or third‑party affiliation, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We encourage applications from all qualified candidates and will accommodate applicants’ needs under the respective laws throughout all stages of the recruitment and selection process.

AI SCORING

AMD may use Artificial Intelligence to help screen, assess or select applicants for this position. AMD’s “Responsible AI Policy” is available here.

NOTICE

This posting is for an existing vacancy.

BENEFITS

Benefits offered are described: AMD benefits at a glance.