Runtime Engineer

Normal Computing Corporation; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 260,000 - 380,000; Full time

Job summary

Normal Computing seeks a senior runtime engineer to own the design and implementation of its runtime layer for memory-bound AI workloads. You will work with simulators, FPGA prototypes, and future silicon, setting technical direction and ensuring a stable interface across teams.

You will lead architecture decisions, address device state and memory transfer, and drive end-to-end performance improvements for large-model inference on evolving hardware.

Qualifications

• Experience building runtimes, drivers, or hardware abstraction layers for accelerators or other non-standard hardware.
• Strong systems programming in C++ or Rust with memory management and low-level performance.
• Track record owning a complex systems component end to end.
• Understanding of LLM inference workloads and runtime demands.
• Comfort building software for evolving hardware, from simulation to bring-up.

Responsibilities

• Runtime Architecture: design device management, memory allocation, loading, and command submission.
• Hardware Abstraction: hide simulator, FPGA, silicon differences behind a stable interface.
• Device State: manage on-hardware state between requests (weights, buffers).
• Performance: minimize runtime overhead on the critical path for end-to-end latency.
• Cross-Team Interfaces: define boundaries with compiler, driver, and firmware teams.
• Technical Leadership: set direction and review designs with multiple teams.

Skills

Systems programming

Runtime design

Concurrency

LLM inference workloads

Non-standard hardware

Job description

Normal Computing | Build with Us

Normal is an applied AI company solving the hardest problems in AI and silicon. We build foundational hardware and software for the semiconductor industry, critical AI infrastructure, and the broader systems that power our world, in partnership with the world's most advanced institutions. We work as one team across New York City, Silicon Valley (Mountain View), London, Copenhagen, and Seoul.

The Role

Normal's hardware runs the most memory-bound parts of large-model inference inside memory itself, rather than shuttling weights to a processor. The software that makes this programmable doesn't exist yet in any standard form. The runtime is the layer the rest of that software runs through: it is how compiled programs get loaded, scheduled, and executed on our hardware. You will own its design and much of its implementation, and set its technical direction.

This is a senior, hands-on role. Our chip is pre-silicon, so you will build the runtime against our simulators and FPGA prototypes first, behind one interface, so that software above the runtime doesn't change when silicon arrives.

What You Will Own

• Runtime Architecture: Own the design of the runtime: device management, memory allocation and host-device transfer, executable loading, and command submission. Success means the compiler and serving layers program our hardware through one stable interface.
• Hardware Abstraction: Hide the differences between simulators, FPGA prototypes, silicon, and later hardware generations behind that interface.
• Device State: Manage the state that lives on our hardware between requests, such as resident model weights, so the serving layer can rely on it.
• Performance: Keep runtime overhead off the critical path for LLM inference, measured by end-to-end latency and throughput.
• Cross-Team Interfaces: Define the boundary with the compiler above the runtime, and with the driver and firmware below it, which our hardware team owns.
• Technical Leadership: Set the runtime's technical direction, review designs that depend on it, and work with compiler and serving engineers so the interface serves them.

What Makes You a Great Fit

• Experience building runtimes, drivers, or hardware abstraction layers for accelerators or other non-standard hardware
• Strong systems programming in C++ or Rust: memory management, concurrency, and low-level performance
• Track record of owning a complex systems component end to end, from design through production, and driving technical decisions across teams
• Understanding of LLM inference workloads and what they demand of a runtime
• Comfort building software for hardware that is still evolving, from simulation through bring-up

Bonus Points

• Experience with open runtime designs such as IREE's HAL, or with CUDA or ROCm runtime internals
• Experience with in-memory compute or other non-von-Neumann hardware
• Experience integrating a runtime with an inference server such as vLLM
• Contributions to open-source runtime or systems infrastructure

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Normal Computing is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected status.

Accessibility Accommodations

Normal Computing is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please let us know at [e-mail].

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