Principal Thermal Engineer

Graphcore; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Graphcore in Austin is seeking a senior Thermal Engineer to lead the design and validation of liquid cooling solutions for AI data center servers. You will own thermal specifications, drive simulations, testing and cross-functional reviews to meet performance, cost and reliability goals.

You will work with ODM vendors and suppliers, guide thermal designs, and ensure integration with chip and board teams. Requires 5+ years in server thermal design focusing on DLC and cold plates; strong

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s, Master’s or Ph.D degrees in mechanical engineering.
• Minimum of 5 years of server thermal design experience.
• Experience in system level thermal design focusing on DLC and cold plate cooling heatsink technology as well as system level control logic.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, modify and evaluate the liquid cooling solutions focusing on direct liquid cooling (DLC).
• Guiding and directing ODM vendors to deliver thermal designs and monitor testing.
• Collaborate with system architects, chip and board designers, and software/firmware engineers to integrate liquid cooling solutions into server products.

Skills

Thermal design

DLC cooling

Cold plate tech

Thermal simulations

Vendor management

Cross-functional

Root cause analysis

Team collaboration

Heat transfer

FlowTherm/ANSYS

Education

Bachelor/Master/Ph.D in mechanical engineering

Tools

FlowTherm

ANSYS

COMSOL

Job description

Graphcore is a globally recognized leader in Artificial Intelligence computing systems. The company designs advanced semiconductors and data center hardware that provide the specialized processing power needed to drive AI innovation, while delivering the efficiency required to support its broader adoption.

As part of the SoftBank Group, Graphcore is a member of an elite family of companies responsible for some of the world’s most transformative technologies. We are opening a new AI Engineering Campus in Austin, which will play a central role in Graphcore's work building the future of AI computing.

Responsibilities

This position is a senior technical engineer role. The thermal engineer will work in a project team delivering complex AI data centre hardware. Primary responsibility is to ensure the overall product functionality and meet all applicable technical thermal specifications. The engineer will be responsible for the overall thermal solution, creation of specifications, design review and qualification, and testing and validation. This role involves deep understanding of thermal management principles, simulation, testing, and collaboration with cross-functional teams to deliver high-performance and reliable server cooling systems.

Expert in your chosen field, you’ll be responsible for designing, developing, modifying and evaluating the liquid cooling solutions focusing on direct liquid cooling (DLC). As part of the technical function, you will be responsible in working with select ODM vendors to manage the product thermal specification, development schedule, meet various deliverables, resolve technical issues, and ensure product meets specification, cost and quality goals. You will be responsible in guiding and directing ODM vendors to deliver thermal designs, implementation, monitor testing, review cost and review technical design information to provide clear directions to ODM. In addition, you will also be working with third party vendors and suppliers to ensure product features are being achieved.

Requirements

Bachelor’s, Master’s or Ph. D degrees in mechanical engineering. Minimum of 5 years of server thermal design experience. Experience in system level thermal design focusing on DLC and cold plate cooling heatsink technology as well as system level control logic.

Skills

• Understanding the basic foundations of thermal fluid dynamics and heat transfer.
• Ability to lead the design and development of liquid cooling solutions. This includes conceptualization, prototyping, simulation, validation, and optimization of heat sinks, cold plates, CDU/CDM, and other liquid cooling components.
• Ability to perform thermal simulations and analyses utilizing industry-standard software (e.g., FlowTherm, ANSYS, COMSOL) to analyze thermal behavior and optimize design for performance and efficiency.
• Ability to develop and execute test plans to validate thermal solutions, ensuring compliance with industry standards and performance goals.
• Experience working closely with system architects, chip and board designers, and software/firmware engineers to integrate liquid cooling solutions into server products.
• Understanding of microprocessor architecture and thermal profiles.
• Understanding of system level thermal design focusing on fan and heatsink technology.
• Experience with system level thermal and fan control algorithm.
• Experience effectively dealing with conflict.
• Communicates well verbally, in writing, and graphically.
• Ability to establish clear goals and formulate plans to achieve them.
• Good root-cause analysis and problem-solving skills.
• Works independently and as part of a team.
• Excited about technology and has the desire to learn new tasks and technologies.

DIFFERENTIATORS

We welcome people of different backgrounds and experiences and are committed to building an inclusive work environment that makes Graphcore a great home for everyone. We are an equal opportunity employer and want to build a work environment where everyone is happy, productive and respectful so they can do their best work. If you have a disability or additional need that requires accommodation, just let us know.

USA Benefits

In addition to a competitive salary, Graphcore offers flexible working and a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your health, wellbeing and financial future. Our benefits include medical, dental and vision coverage, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), disability and life insurance, a 401(k) retirement plan, commuter benefits, wellness services and an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). We welcome people of different backgrounds and experiences; we're committed to building an inclusive work environment that makes Graphcore a great home for everyone. We offer an equal opportunity process and understand that there are visible and invisible differences in all of us. We can provide a flexible approach to interview and encourage you to chat to us if you require any reasonable adjustments.