OpenAI Thermal Engineer designs and optimizes thermal solutions for IT hardware from chip to system level. The role involves thermal modeling, testing, and collaboration with cross-functional teams to ensure hardware reliability and efficiency.
Responsibilities
We are looking for an experienced Thermal Engineer with 7+ years of experience in thermal management of IT hardware from chip/package to system levels. You’ll work alongside experts in thermal, mechanical, electrical, software, and systems engineering to support the design, analysis, and validation of thermal solutions that ensure the reliability, efficiency, and longevity of mission-critical hardware. This position requires strong analytical skills, hands-on testing experience, and the ability to work in a fast-paced, cross-disciplinary environment.
Design and optimize thermal solutions for data center hardware, including chips, power modules, and system-level cooling architectures
Evaluate thermal performance at the chip, package, and board levels, addressing challenges related to power density, heat dissipation, and thermal interface materials
Perform thermal modeling and simulation to predict temperature profiles and identify thermal bottlenecks
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate thermal management strategies into hardware design, from concept to mass production
Support lab testing and validation, including the setup of thermal experiments, data acquisition, and troubleshooting of thermal performance issues
Design and select thermal components, such as cold plates, heat sinks, fans, vapor chambers, and thermal interface materials (TIMs)
Work with firmware and electrical engineers to define and implement thermal control algorithms for dynamic power and cooling management.
Conduct feasibility studies and trade-off analyses to evaluate cooling technologies and improve system thermal efficiency
Partner with suppliers and manufacturers to support the development of custom thermal components and ensure quality in production
Qualification
Ability to analyze experimental dataStrong problem-solving skillsSelf-drivenUnderstanding of reliability testingTo comply with U
Required
Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Thermal Engineering, or a related field (Master’s preferred).
7+ years of industry experience in thermal design, simulation, and validation for IT hardware
Proficiency in thermal simulation software and CAD tools
Strong understanding of heat transfer principles, thermodynamics, and fluid mechanics, with an emphasis on electronics cooling
Hands-on experience with thermal testing equipment, including thermocouples, infrared cameras, wind tunnels, and P-Q characterization setups
Experience in chip/package-level thermal analysis, including die-level heat spreading, and package thermal modeling
Ability to analyze experimental data, identify root causes of thermal issues, and implement corrective actions
Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to perform first-principles calculations to support design decisions.
Self-driven, detail-oriented, and able to work independently or collaboratively in cross-functional engineering environments
Preferred
10+ years of industry experience in thermal design, simulation, and validation for IT hardware
Extensive experience with data center hardware or high-performance computing systems at scale
Practical experience in developing advanced cooling technologies
Familiarity with thermal control algorithms and dynamic thermal management techniques
Understanding of reliability testing, failure analysis, and thermal stress testing for electronic components
Experience working with suppliers and manufacturing partners to support thermal solution development and production ramp-up
To comply with U.S. export control laws and regulations, candidates for this role may need to meet certain legal status requirements as provided in those laws and regulations.
OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. We push the boundaries of the capabilities of AI systems and seek to safely deploy them to the world through our products. AI is an extremely powerful tool that must be created with safety and human needs at its core, and to achieve our mission, we must encompass and value the many different perspectives, voices, and experiences that form the full spectrum of humanity.
