Research Scientist - DPU & AI Infra Technology - Infrastructure Seattle Regular

ByteDance; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 129,960 - 246,240; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) savings plan with company match

Paid parental leave

Short-term and long-term disability coverage

Life insurance

Wellbeing benefits

Paid holidays and sick days

Paid personal time

Job summary

A technology company based in Seattle is seeking a network software engineer to design and develop high-performance DPU network software. The ideal candidate will have strong knowledge in C/C++, Linux systems, and experience with software-hardware co-design. This role offers a competitive salary and various benefits including medical insurance and paid personal time.

Qualifications

• B.S./M.S. in relevant fields or Ph.D. with strong research/publications required.
• 2+ years of relevant industry experience preferred.
• Proficiency in C/C++ development and debugging is essential.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop DPU network software focusing on performance, latency, and reliability.
• Collaborate with hardware teams for software-hardware solutions.
• Drive end-to-end performance optimization in systems.

Skills

C/C++ development

Linux systems development

Software-hardware co-design

Distributed systems

High-performance networking

AI/ML systems

Education

B.S./M.S. in Computer Science, Computer Engineering or related fields

Ph.D. with research/publications

Tools

DPDK

Network virtualization (OVS, SR-IOV, eBPF)

Job description

Overview

About the TeamThe ByteDance DPU (Data Processing Unit) team is building the foundational computing infrastructure for ByteDance and Volcano Engine Public Cloud. Our mission is to advance the architecture, development, and research of next-generation software-hardware technologies across compute, networking, and storage for cloud and AI computing. Our technology stack spans- Cloud virtualization & hypervisors- High-performance user-space network protocols (DPDK, RDMA, etc.)- High-speed interconnect and virtual switching- Distributed storage acceleration- GPU virtualization and scheduling for AI/ML workloadsWe work at the intersection of software systems, distributed infrastructure, and custom hardware acceleration, shaping the next wave of cloud-scale computing.

Responsibilities

- Design and develop DPU network software with a focus on high performance, low latency, and reliability.- Collaborate with hardware teams to build software-hardware co-design solutions for networking and storage acceleration.- Explore AI/ML infrastructure acceleration, leveraging DPUs, GPUs, and custom hardware to optimize distributed training and inference.- Drive end-to-end performance optimization, from OS kernels and drivers to user-space runtime systems.- Contribute to architecture design, technical proposals, and long-term research directions.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications- B.S./M.S. in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related fields; or Ph.D. with strong research/publications.- 2+ years of relevant industry experience (exception for Ph.D. with strong background).- Proficiency in C/C++ development and debugging.- Strong Linux systems development experience.- Solid understanding of compute, network architecture, and operating systems.- Background in at least one of: software-hardware co-design, distributed systems, high-performance networking, or AI/ML systems.

Preferred Qualifications- Ph.D. in related fields with research training and publications.- Experience with software-hardware co-design (networking, storage, or distributed compute).- Hands-on experience with network virtualization (OVS, SR-IOV, eBPF).- Familiarity with DPDK and high-performance user-space networking.- Bonus points for hardware acceleration experience, FPGA/ASIC/GPU/CUDA- Bonus points for experience with NCCL Collectives along with AI communication patterns and parallelization techniques- Proven experience designing and building AI/ML infrastructure related but not limited to inference kv cache system, data preprocessing system.

Job Information

The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $129960 - $246240 annually.

Compensation may vary outside of this range depending on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies and experience, and location. Base pay is one part of the Total Package that is provided to compensate and recognize employees for their work, and this role may be eligible for additional discretionary bonuses/incentives, and restricted stock units.

Benefits may vary depending on the nature of employment and the country work location. Employees have day one access to medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) savings plan with company match, paid parental leave, short-term and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, wellbeing benefits, among others. Employees also receive 10 paid holidays per year, 10 paid sick days per year and 17 days of Paid Personal Time (prorated upon hire with increasing accruals by tenure).

The Company reserves the right to modify or change these benefits programs at any time, with or without notice.

Los Angeles County Candidate Notice

For Los Angeles County (unincorporated) Candidates:

Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all federal, state, and local laws including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act. Our company believes that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship on the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of the conditional offer of employment:

• Interacting and occasionally having unsupervised contact with internal/external clients and/or colleagues;
• Apropriately handling and managing confidential information including proprietary and trade secret information and access to information technology systems; and
• Exercising sound judgment.

About Us

Founded in 2012, ByteDance's mission is to inspire creativity and enrich life. With a suite of more than a dozen products, including TikTok, Lemon8, CapCut and Pico as well as platforms specific to the China market, including Toutiao, Douyin, and Xigua, ByteDance has made it easier and more fun for people to connect with, consume, and create content.

Why Join ByteDance

Inspiring creativity is at the core of ByteDance's mission. Our innovative products are built to help people authentically express themselves, discover and connect – and our global, diverse teams make that possible. Together, we create value for our communities, inspire creativity and enrich life - a mission we work towards every day.

As ByteDancers, we strive to do great things with great people. We lead with curiosity, humility, and a desire to make impact in a rapidly growing tech company. By constantly iterating and fostering an "Always Day 1" mindset, we achieve meaningful breakthroughs for ourselves, our Company, and our users. When we create and grow together, the possibilities are limitless. Join us.

Diversity & Inclusion

ByteDance is committed to creating an inclusive space where employees are valued for their skills, experiences, and unique perspectives. Our platform connects people from across the globe and so does our workplace. At ByteDance, our mission is to inspire creativity and enrich life. To achieve that goal, we are committed to celebrating our diverse voices and to creating an environment that reflects the many communities we reach. We are passionate about this and hope you are too.

Reasonable Accommodation

ByteDance is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in our recruitment processes for candidates with disabilities, pregnancy, sincerely held religious beliefs or other reasons protected by applicable laws. If you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation, please reach out to us at https://tinyurl.com/RA-request