Host Systems Software Engineer

OpenAI, Inc.

Job Overview

Location

San Francisco

Job Type

Full-time

Full Job Description

📋 Description

• Design, implement, and debug host-side systems software for AI infrastructure, including Linux kernel drivers and supporting userspace components.
• Build and optimize software paths for high-throughput, low-latency communication, including RDMA and related networking functionality.
• Develop software around PCIe, DMA, NICs, accelerators, memory movement, and device interaction.
• Bring up new hardware platforms and diagnose complex issues across kernel, firmware, networking, and hardware boundaries.
• Build tooling for integration, testing, diagnostics, observability, qualification, and performance characterization.
• Collaborate with hardware, networking, and platform teams to define interfaces and integrate new capabilities.
• Work with external vendors to integrate technologies and drive issues to resolution.
• Contribute across the systems software stack as the platform and team evolve.
• Help shape the technical direction and engineering practices for a growing systems software stack.
• Work close to the hardware on performance-critical software, including Linux kernel drivers, high-throughput I/O paths, and system-scale networking and RDMA.
• Span architecture, implementation, platform bring-up, debugging, and performance optimization to make new AI systems usable end to end.
• Interface between low-level device interfaces and userspace tooling and production validation.
• Engage in end-to-end ownership of complex software projects from design through implementation, bring-up, and validation.
• Operate across hardware and software boundaries to enable high-performance, AI-native computing at scale.
• Participate in defining system-level solutions for custom silicon and infrastructure supporting advanced AI workloads.
• Integrate emerging technologies into production-ready AI systems in partnership with research, software, and external vendors.
• Perform profiling and optimization of high-throughput, low-latency systems.
• Use Linux tooling for automation and debugging in the context of systems software development.
• Maintain confidentiality of proprietary, confidential, and non-public information related to secure and protected IT systems.
• Adhere to U.S. export control laws and regulations applicable to this role.

🎯 Requirements

• Experience building low-level or performance-critical systems software.
• Strong programming skills in C or C++, with proficiency using Python and Linux tooling for automation and debugging.
• Strong Linux systems fundamentals and the ability to debug across hardware and software boundaries.
• Hands-on experience in at least one relevant area, such as Linux kernel drivers, kernel networking, RDMA, PCIe, DMA, NIC software, accelerator software, or high-performance I/O.
• Experience owning complex software projects from design through implementation, bring-up, and validation.
• Ability to thrive in ambiguity, work across subsystem boundaries, and build systems from scratch.

🏖️ Benefits

• Opportunity to work on custom silicon and system-level solutions for advanced AI workloads.
• Collaboration with research, software, and external vendors to bring cutting-edge AI infrastructure to production.
• Contribution to shaping the technical direction and engineering practices of a growing systems software stack.
• Access to secure and protected information technology systems with associated data security obligations.
• Compliance with U.S. export control laws and regulations, including eligibility requirements for certain legal statuses.
• Commitment to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities.

Skills & Technologies

Python

Rust

Linux

Onsite

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OpenAI, Inc.

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About OpenAI, Inc.

OpenAI is a San Francisco-based artificial intelligence research and deployment company founded in 2015. It develops large-scale AI models such as GPT, DALL-E, and Codex, providing cloud APIs and consumer applications like ChatGPT. Originally established as a non-profit, it later created a capped-profit subsidiary to attract capital while maintaining its mission to ensure artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity.

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