Systems/GPU Research Engineer

Company: Vast.ai
Location: Los Angeles
Posted on: February 18, 2026

Job Description:

Job Description Job Description About Us Vast.ai's cloud powers AI projects and businesses all over the world. We are democratizing and decentralizing AI computing—reshaping our future for the benefit of humanity. We are a small, growing, and highly motivated team dedicated to an ambitious technical plan. We operate with a flat mobile organizational structure where all contribute directly to the company's mission. Leadership is earned by those who show initiative and deliver excellence. We seek engineers/researchers with strong intrinsic drive, a true passion for advancing the state of the art, and a mix of excellent research, coding, and communication skills. LOCATION: On-site at our office in San Francisco or Westwood, Los Angeles. About the Role As a systems/GPU engineer, you will play a crucial role in developing new kernels and algorithms that can improve inference for AI models. You will help develop new high-performance tensor libraries and auto-optimization tools. Collaborating directly with our technical founder and diverse team, you will enhance the performance and efficiency of our AI systems. Your ability to research and stay on top of cutting-edge papers will be vital in staying up-to-date with the latest advancements in AI model inference and GPU programming techniques. Full-Time On-site at either our SF or LA offices Tech Stack C++/CUDA, GPGPU, Python, Linux Ideal Experience Expertise in systems engineering across the tech stack Deep understanding of GPU architectures Strong holistic background in neural network performance and tooling Published research at top AI conferences Key Responsibilities Develop or extend parallel generic GPU libraries and kernels Help design and deploy market-based resource management systems Quickly investigate and summarize options for new system architectures Prototype and evaluate novel state-of-the-art methods/models Investigate and learn new frameworks and tools Interview Process After submitting your application, our technical team reviews your credentials. If selected, you'll proceed through the following stages: Initial screening (virtual, 15 minutes) Quick dive into Vast, systems and architectures (virtual, 30 minutes) LLM-assisted coding assessment (virtual, 1 hour) Meet and greet with coding assessment (on-site, 2 hours) Our goal is to complete the interview process in two weeks. Annual Salary Range $160,000 – $320,000 equity benefits Vast.ai is hiring across all experience levels with compensation commensurate with background, experience and potential. Benefits Comprehensive health, dental, vision, and life insurance 401(k) with company match Meaningful early-stage equity Onsite meals, snacks, and close collaboration with founders/tech leaders Ambitious, fast-paced startup culture where initiative is rewarded

Keywords: Vast.ai, Carson , Systems/GPU Research Engineer, IT / Software / Systems , Los Angeles, California