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Vast.ai

Systems/GPU Research Engineer

San Francisco · Los Angeles

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hirly's read of this role

Seniority
Mid level
Stated salary
$200,000 – $330,000 per year
Country
US
Work mode
On-site / unstated
First seen by hirly
28 Sept 2026

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the posting

About Us

Vast.ai ’s cloud powers AI projects and businesses all over the world. We are democratizing and decentralizing AI computing—reshaping our future for the benefit of humanity.

We are a growing and highly motivated team dedicated to an ambitious technical plan. Our structure is flat, our ambitions are out‑sized, and leadership is earned by shipping excellence.

We seek engineers with strong intrinsic drive, a true passion for advancing the state of the art, and a mix of architecture, coding, and communication skills.

LOCATION: On-site at our office in San Francisco or Westwood, Los Angeles.

About the Role

As a systems/GPU engineer, you will play a crucial role in developing new kernels and algorithms that can improve inference for AI models. You will help develop new high-performance tensor libraries and auto-optimization tools. Collaborating directly with our technical founder and diverse team, you will enhance the performance and efficiency of our AI systems. Your ability to research and stay on top of cutting-edge papers will be vital in staying up-to-date with the latest advancements in AI model inference and GPU programming techniques.

Full-Time

On-site at either our SF or LA offices

Tech Stack

C++/CUDA, GPGPU, Python, Linux

Ideal Experience

Expertise in systems engineering across the tech stack

Deep understanding of GPU architectures

Strong holistic background in neural network performance and tooling

Published research at top AI conferences

Key Responsibilities

Develop or extend parallel generic GPU libraries and kernels

Help design and deploy market-based resource management systems

Quickly investigate and summarize options for new system architectures

Prototype and evaluate novel state-of-the-art methods/models

Investigate and learn new frameworks and tools

Interview Process

After submitting your application, our technical team reviews your credentials. If selected, you'll proceed through the following stages:

15 min - Initial screening (virtual)

45 min - Quick dive into Vast, work history (virtual)

45 min - Systems and architectures (virtual)

1 hour - LLM-assisted coding assessment (virtual)

2 hours - Meet and greet with coding assessment (on-site)

Our goal is to complete the interview process in two weeks.

Benefits

Comprehensive health, dental, vision, and life insurance

401(k) with company match

Meaningful early-stage equity

Onsite meals, snacks, and close collaboration with founders/tech leaders

Ambitious, fast-paced startup culture where initiative is rewarded

Original posting on Vast.ai's site ↗

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