Software Engineer - Platform Infrastructure (Rust, C++)

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Design, build, and implement a large-scale distributed system that powers one of the world's largest supercomputing clusters.

Dive into the low-level stack to profile, debug, and optimize performance across diverse systems, including GPUs, Linux kernel, networking, and filesystems, to achieve peak efficiency.

Collaborate on hardware, software, and algorithm co-design to push the boundaries of AI training.

Maintain and innovate on our codebase to ensure scalability and reliability.

Develop tools to enhance team productivity and streamline workflows.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

Systems programming experience in C, C++, or Rust

Computer systems fundamentals with a grasp of how computers execute code from transistors to high-level applications.

Hands-on expertise with Kubernetes (K8s), including cluster architecture, pod lifecycle, networking (CNI), storage (CSI), service mesh, and production-grade operations

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

Collaborate in a fast-paced, open environment to design and foundational systems.

Strong debugging skills across the full stack — from kernel and OS up through container orchestration layers

Deep knowledge of operating systems internals (process scheduling, memory management, file systems, and synchronization primitives)

Proficiency in performance analysis, profiling, and low-level optimization techniques

Solid understanding of computer networks and the TCP/IP stack

Experience working with Linux kernel concepts or systems-level debugging tools (e.g., perf, gdb, strace, Wireshark)

Proficiency deploying and managing workloads using Kubernetes manifests, Helm, Operators, and GitOps workflows

Solid understanding of containerization technologies (Docker, containerd, crio) and their interaction with the Linux kernel

Experience with observability and monitoring in distributed systems (Prometheus, Grafana, VictoriaMetrics, OpenTelemetry, or similar)

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

$180,000 - $440,000 USD

Base salary is just one part of our total rewards package at xAI, which also includes equity, comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short & long-term disability insurance, life insurance, and various other discounts and perks.