Principal Thermal Engineer - AI System

SYNNEX Corporation; Fremont (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

SYNNEX Corporation seeks a senior thermal design engineer to own system-level thermal design from concept through production for high-power GPUs, CPUs, VRs, and memory. You will optimize airflow, select cooling hardware, and drive integration with mechanical and hardware teams.

The role requires deep CFD/thermal modeling experience, hands-on lab validation, and leadership to mentor engineers while ensuring reliability and manufacturability across hyperscale deployments.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of hands-on thermal design for servers, GPU platforms, HPC systems or high-power electronics.
• Involvement in bring-up, validation, and manufacturing ramp for production deployments.
• Hyperscale deployment experience strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Hands-on system thermal design from concept to production, optimizing airflow and cooling hardware.
• Design direct-to-chip liquid cooling solutions and support hybrid platforms.
• Modeling, lab validation, and correlation with real AI workloads; lead validation activities.

Skills

Airflow design

Liquid cooling

CFD/thermal modeling

Systems bring-up

Cross-functional leadership

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

CFD tools

Thermal modeling tools

Job description

Core Responsibilities

• Hands‑on system thermal design. Own system-level thermal design from early concept through production, optimizing airflow, heat sinks, cold plates, heat exchangers, and liquid cooling hardware for very high‑power GPUs, CPUs, VRs, and memory.
• Liquid and air cooling implementation. Design direct‑to‑chip liquid cooling solutions (cold plates, manifolds, tubing, quick‑disconnects), support hybrid platforms, and own airflow design including fan selection, ducting, zoning, and impedance reduction.
• Modeling, lab validation, and correlation. Perform thermal and CFD modeling to guide placement and layout, instrument systems for validation, execute characterization and margin testing under real AI workloads, and correlate simulation with lab data.
• Bring‑up, debug, and issue resolution. Lead thermal bring‑up across EVT/DVT/PVT, debug hotspots, instability, and flow anomalies, and drive root‑cause analysis with permanent fixes through factory ramp and field deployment.
• Cross‑functional leadership. Work closely with mechanical, hardware, power, firmware, SI, and manufacturing teams to ensure thermal considerations are embedded into board layouts, mechanical stackups, and rack packaging; set thermal methodology and mentor engineers.

Required Qualifications & Skills

• Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s in Mechanical Engineering, Thermal Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Experience: 10+ years of hands‑on thermal design for servers, GPU platforms, HPC systems, or high‑power electronics, with proven delivery of air‑cooled and/or liquid‑cooled systems into production and direct involvement in bring‑up, validation, and manufacturing ramp. Hyperscale deployment experience strongly preferred.
• Technical expertise: Strong hands‑on knowledge of airflow and thermal design for high‑power servers, direct‑to‑chip liquid cooling systems, cold plates/pumps/manifolds/heat exchangers, and CFD/thermal modeling tools; deep understanding of thermal‑power‑reliability relationships in AI/GPU systems.
• Working style: Strong individual contributor able to own problems end‑to‑end, comfortable debugging physical systems in the lab, and a clear communicator who translates thermal data into actionable design changes.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status.