Senior Counsel, Data Center & Infrastructure

Foundation Capital; Sunnyvale (CA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Cerebras Systems in Sunnyvale, CA, is seeking a Senior Counsel, Data Center & Infrastructure to support the Global Data Centers team with acquisitions, development projects, and other infrastructure transactions. You will manage deals from diligence through negotiation and closing, and provide legal guidance as data centers transition from acquisition to operation.

This role offers hands-on work in a fast-changing area and the chance to deepen expertise across real estate, construction, supply

Qualifications

• 6+ years of direct legal experience with data center providers or hyperscalers.
• Fluency in technical terms related to compute infrastructure, data centers, power and utilities.
• Experience negotiating real estate or physical infrastructure agreements (colocation, leases, capacity agreements).
• Experience with transaction diligence, regulatory issues and dispute resolution for data center projects.
• Ability to learn adjacent practice areas and adapt to priorities.
• J.D. and active bar admission required; mix of law firm and in-house experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Execute data center acquisitions and related infrastructure transactions.
• Negotiate colocation, powered-shell, build-to-suit leases and connectivity contracts.
• Advise on post-acquisition matters including construction and supply chain.
• Address regulatory questions and manage risk across projects.

Skills

Legal experience

Data center infra knowledge

Negotiation skills

Regulatory diligence

Education

J.D.

Job description

Cerebras Systems builds the world's largest AI chip, 56 times larger than GPUs. This architecture allows Cerebras to deliver industry-leading training and inference speeds; over 10 times faster than GPU-based hyperscale cloud inference services.
This order of magnitude increase in speed is transforming the user experience of AI applications, unlocking real-time iteration and increasing intelligence via additional agentic computation. Cerebras works with the leading model labs, global enterprises, and cutting-edge AI-native startups. OpenAI recently announced a multi-year partnership with Cerebras, to deploy 750 megawatts of scale, transforming key workloads with ultra high-speed inference services.

About the Role

As Senior Counsel, Data Center & Infrastructure, you will support the Global Data Centers team with acquisitions, development projects, and other infrastructure transactions. You will manage deals throughout their lifecycle, negotiate key agreements, and provide legal guidance on issues as data centers transition from acquisition to operation.

The role offers hands-on work in a fast-developing area and the chance to deepen expertise across real estate, construction, supply chain and compute infrastructure while contributing directly to the company’s expansion.

Responsibilities

• Execute data center acquisitions and other digital infrastructure transactions, including diligence, negotiation and closing.
• Negotiate colocation agreements, powered-shell and build-to-suit leases, capacity reservation and development agreements, and connectivity contracts.
• Advise on post-acquisition matters, including construction, design, long-lead equipment and supply chain transactions.
• Address regulatory questions and disputes arising from infrastructure projects, and collaborate across teams to manage interdependencies and risk.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of direct legal experience with or at data center providers, neo-clouds or hyperscalers on infrastructure transactions.
• Fluency in technical terms involving compute infrastructure, hardware specifications, data center operations, long-lead equipment, supply chain, and power and utilities requirements.
• Experience negotiating real estate or physical infrastructure agreements, including colocation agreements, powered-shell and build-to-suit leases, capacity arrangements and connectivity agreements.
• Experience with transaction diligence, regulatory issues and dispute resolution related to data center or infrastructure projects.
• Practical judgment, initiative and the ability to learn adjacent practice areas and adapt as priorities evolve.
• J.D. and active bar admission required. A mix of leading law firm and in-house experience is preferred.

Why Join Cerebras

People who are serious about software make their own hardware. At Cerebras, we have built a breakthrough architecture that is unlocking new opportunities for the AI industry. With dozens of model releases and rapid growth, we’ve reached an inflection point in our business. Members of our team tell us there are five main reasons they joined Cerebras:

1. Build a breakthrough AI platform beyond the constraints of the GPU.
2. Publish and open source their cutting-edge AI research.
3. Work on one of the fastest AI supercomputers in the world.
4. Enjoy job stability with startup vitality.
5. Our simple, non-corporate work culture that respects individual beliefs.

Find out more about what it's like to work at Cerebras here!

Cerebras Systems is committed to creating an equal and diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate different backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We believe inclusive teams build better products and companies. We try every day to build a work environment that empowers people to do their best work through continuous learning, growth and support of those around them.

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