Software Engineer - Infrastructure

xAI’s mission is to create AI systems that can accurately understand the universe and aid humanity in its pursuit of knowledge. Our team is small, highly motivated, and focused on engineering excellence. This organization is for individuals who appreciate challenging themselves and thrive on curiosity. We operate with a flat organizational structure. All employees are expected to be hands-on and to contribute directly to the company’s mission. Leadership is given to those who show initiative and consistently deliver excellence. Work ethic and strong prioritization skills are important. All engineers and researchers are expected to have strong communication skills. They should be able to concisely and accurately share knowledge with their teammates.

About the role

We’re looking for exceptional infrastructure engineers to redefine what is possible in large-scale AI infrastructure and build the supercomputing platform that powers xAI’s ambitious goals. The initial 200,000 GPU phase of the Colossus supercluster in Memphis was only the beginning of xAI’s infrastructure roadmap, and we need world-class infra engineers to build the future of large-scale AI.

As a Software Engineer on the Infrastructure team, you’ll work across multiple workstreams to design, build, and maintain cutting-edge distributed systems that enable our developers to scale our compute and data platforms and ensure efficiency, reliability, and performance at an unprecedented scale. 

This role offers the opportunity to shape the backbone of xAI’s technology.

What You'll Do

• Enhance developer experience by modernizing build systems, reducing build times, and implementing tools like Bazel in a monorepo environment. Design and improve CI/CD pipelines using Buildkite, Argo, and Kubernetes, create developer portals, and assist application teams in migrating to Kubernetes while defining the next-generation tech stack.
• Scale compute infrastructure on Kubernetes by building controllers, admission plugins, and supporting systems that empower teams to leverage Kubernetes effectively.
• Design and maintain one of the largest traffic shaping and load balancing deployments using Envoy, while building service meshes and service discovery systems to handle massive scale.
• Scale data platforms and observability systems (logging, tracing, metrics) to support exabyte-scale data processing and provide deep insights into system performance.
• Drive reliability, standardization, and performance by building and refining systems with a pedantic focus on quality and scalability.
• Manage and optimize large-scale storage systems, including key-value stores, relational databases, and network file systems or object stores (open-source, cloud-managed, and in-house solutions).
• Contribute to miscellaneous quality-of-life improvements that empower developers and streamline workflows.

Who You Are

• 2 years of industry experience working with large-scale, high-throughput distributed systems, compute platforms, or data infrastructure.
• Proficient in Golang, Rust, Python, or similar languages.
• (Optional) Familiarity with modern developer tools (Bazel, Buildkite, Argo, Kubernetes), service meshes (Envoy), or observability frameworks.
• (Optional) Experience with large-scale storage systems (KV stores, RDBMS, object stores) or Kubernetes ecosystem development (controllers, plugins).
• Passionate about reliability, performance optimization, and building systems that scale seamlessly.

Tech Stack 

• Golang, Python, Rust, gRPC
• Kubernetes, Bazel, Buildkite, Argo, Envoy
• Observability tools, service meshes, and large-scale storage systems

Interview Process

After submitting your application, the team reviews your CV and statement of exceptional work. If your application passes this stage, you will be invited to a 15-30 minutes phone interview, during which a member of our team will ask technical questions. If you clear the phone interview, you will proceed to next steps:

1. Deep dive coding challenge
2. Meet and greet with the wider team

Our goal is to complete the process within one week. All interviews will be conducted in person when applicable.

Location

The role is based in Palo Alto. Candidates are expected to be located near the Bay Area or open to relocation.

Benefits

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.

Annual Salary Range

$180,000 - $440,000 USD

xAI is an equal opportunity employer.

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