What are the responsibilities and job description for the Component Engineer position at Etched?
About Etched
Etched is building the world’s first AI inference system purpose-built for transformers - delivering over 10x higher performance and dramatically lower cost and latency than a B200. With Etched ASICs, you can build products that would be impossible with GPUs, like real-time video generation models and extremely deep & parallel chain-of-thought reasoning agents. Backed by hundreds of millions from top-tier investors and staffed by leading engineers, Etched is redefining the infrastructure layer for the fastest growing industry in history.
Job Summary
We are seeking a highly motivated, intelligent, and flexible Component Engineer to ensure the components that underpin our systems — from VRMs to high-speed connectors — meet our standards for performance, manufacturability, long-term supply stability, and reliability at scale. This role reports to the Head of Quality and Reliability with a strong “dotted line” to Electrical Engineering R&D.
This position plays a critical part in scaling our data center infrastructure design and production, sitting at the intersection of electrical engineering, quality and reliability, supply chain, and manufacturing. The Component Engineer owns the technical and lifecycle integrity of electronic components used in Etched’s compute trays, IO boards, mezzanine cards, and supporting subsystems. By driving evaluation and qualification efforts and smoothing supply chain obstacles, this position enables acceleration of design and production.
Key Responsibilities
Component Selection & Technical Evaluation
Etched believes in the Bitter Lesson. We think most of the progress in the AI field has come from using more FLOPs to train and run models, and the best way to get more FLOPs is to build model-specific hardware. Larger and larger training runs encourage companies to consolidate around fewer model architectures, which creates a market for single-model ASICs.
We are a fully in-person team in San Jose and Taipei, and greatly value engineering skills. We do not have boundaries between engineering and research, and we expect all of our technical staff to contribute to both as needed.
Etched is building the world’s first AI inference system purpose-built for transformers - delivering over 10x higher performance and dramatically lower cost and latency than a B200. With Etched ASICs, you can build products that would be impossible with GPUs, like real-time video generation models and extremely deep & parallel chain-of-thought reasoning agents. Backed by hundreds of millions from top-tier investors and staffed by leading engineers, Etched is redefining the infrastructure layer for the fastest growing industry in history.
Job Summary
We are seeking a highly motivated, intelligent, and flexible Component Engineer to ensure the components that underpin our systems — from VRMs to high-speed connectors — meet our standards for performance, manufacturability, long-term supply stability, and reliability at scale. This role reports to the Head of Quality and Reliability with a strong “dotted line” to Electrical Engineering R&D.
This position plays a critical part in scaling our data center infrastructure design and production, sitting at the intersection of electrical engineering, quality and reliability, supply chain, and manufacturing. The Component Engineer owns the technical and lifecycle integrity of electronic components used in Etched’s compute trays, IO boards, mezzanine cards, and supporting subsystems. By driving evaluation and qualification efforts and smoothing supply chain obstacles, this position enables acceleration of design and production.
Key Responsibilities
Component Selection & Technical Evaluation
- Partner with EE design teams to identify and approve components for:
- VRMs and power delivery subsystems
- Logic-bearing devices (retimers, controllers, clocking, CPLDs, etc.)
- High-speed interconnect (connectors, cages, cables)
- Standard passives and electromechanical components
- Perform technical trade studies (electrical, thermal, reliability, derating).
- Review and interpret datasheets, qualification reports, and vendor reliability data.
- Drive component derating guidelines and approved component standards.
- Develop and execute qualification plans for new components.
- Review vendor qual (HTOL, HAST, temp cycling, mechanical stress, etc.).
- Assess FIT/MTBF data and integrate into system-level reliability models.
- Define incoming inspection requirements where appropriate.
- Lead failure analysis coordination for component-level escapes.
- Approve or reject components based on risk, lifecycle, and performance.
- Identify and qualify second sources for single-source or long-lead components.
- Monitor lifecycle status (PCN, EOL, LTB notices).
- Partner with Supply Chain to mitigate allocation and geopolitical risk.
- Own AVL (Approved Vendor List) governance and component health metrics.
- Drive BOM risk reviews prior to design freeze and production release.
- EE on design-in decisions
- Quality on qualification standards
- Manufacturing on DFM and yield sensitivities
- Supply Chain on sourcing strategy and lead time risk
- Contract Manufacturers on approved substitutions
- Support NPI builds with rapid evaluation of substitute components.
- Participate in design reviews (schematic/layout) for high-risk components.
- Interface with suppliers on technical clarifications and audits.
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree or higher in Electrical Engineering or a related field.
- 5 years in component engineering, hardware development, or electronic reliability engineering.
- Experience with server, networking, storage, or high-performance compute platforms.
- Exposure to ECAD tools (e.g., Cadence, Altium, or similar) and an understanding of how CAD data is managed within a PLM system (e.g. Team Center, SAP)
- Strong knowledge of: Power electronics (VRMs, controllers, MOSFETs, inductors), High-speed connectors (PCIe, QSFP, board-to-board mezzanine), Logic-bearing components and control devices, Passive component derating practices
- Familiarity with PCN/EOL processes and lifecycle risk management.
- Familiarity with JEDEC and IPC standards
- Experience working with contract manufacturers in Asia
- Strong communication skills with the ability to explain technical concepts to non-expert users
- Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to troubleshoot technical and process issues methodically
- Tendency to think in terms of risk and higher level objectives, not just spec compliance.
- Preference for a dynamic and fast-moving startup environment
- Detail-oriented mindset with an emphasis on data quality, consistency, and process adherence
- Medical, dental, and vision packages with generous premium coverage
- $500 per month credit for waiving medical benefits
- Housing subsidy of $2k per month for those living within walking distance of the office
- Relocation support for those moving to San Jose (Santana Row)
- Various wellness benefits covering fitness, mental health, and more
- Daily lunch and dinner in our office
Etched believes in the Bitter Lesson. We think most of the progress in the AI field has come from using more FLOPs to train and run models, and the best way to get more FLOPs is to build model-specific hardware. Larger and larger training runs encourage companies to consolidate around fewer model architectures, which creates a market for single-model ASICs.
We are a fully in-person team in San Jose and Taipei, and greatly value engineering skills. We do not have boundaries between engineering and research, and we expect all of our technical staff to contribute to both as needed.
Salary : $500 - $2,000