Principal AI Performance Engineer

Crusoe is building the World’s Favorite AI-first Cloud infrastructure company. We’re pioneering vertically integrated,  purpose-built AI infrastructure solutions trusted by Fortune 500 companies to power their most advanced AI applications. Crusoe is redefining AI cloud infrastructure, with a mission to align the future of computing with the future of the climate. Our AI platform is recognized as the "gold standard" for reliability and performance. Our data centers are optimized for AI workloads and are powered by clean, renewable energy.

Be part of the AI revolution with sustainable technology at Crusoe. Here, you'll drive meaningful innovation, make a tangible impact, and join a team that’s setting the pace for responsible, transformative cloud infrastructure.

About This Role:
Crusoe Energy is on a mission to align the future of computing with the future of the climate. As a Principal AI Performance Engineer, you will play a pivotal role in optimizing scalable inference engines to enhance performance, efficiency, and speed. Your contributions will directly impact Crusoe’s revenue model, as faster inference translates to greater token throughput and increased efficiency in our AI infrastructure. If you are passionate about accelerating AI workloads, optimizing inference engines, and pushing the boundaries of high-performance computing, this role is for you.

This is a full-time hybrid role based in San Francisco, CA, or Sunnyvale, CA, requiring in-office presence three times a week.

What You’ll Be Working On:

• Optimize inference engines – Improve inference performance in engines such as VLLM, ensuring maximum efficiency and scalability.

• Enhance scalable AI infrastructure – Implement optimizations that accelerate AI inference, directly impacting Crusoe’s efficiency and revenue generation.

• Develop CUDA kernels – Write and deploy CUDA kernels to optimize deep learning workloads, improving computational performance.

• Conduct performance analysis – Profile and analyze training and inference workloads to identify and resolve bottlenecks.

• Engage with the AI research community – Track developments in scalable inference, contribute to open-source projects, and publish research to advance the field.

• Improve onboarding and documentation – Enhance internal documentation and tooling standards to streamline team workflows and training.

• Collaborate cross-functionally – Work closely with AI researchers, engineers, and infrastructure teams to develop cutting-edge solutions.

What You’ll Bring to the Team:

• Expertise in CUDA or OpenCL – Demonstrated experience developing CUDA kernels or equivalent technologies.

• Proficiency in Python – Strong programming skills, particularly in Python, for AI and performance optimization tasks.

• Experience with deep learning frameworks – Hands-on knowledge of training infrastructure such as PyTorch or TensorFlow.

• Strong understanding of CPU & GPU architecture – Ability to analyze and optimize performance at the hardware level.

Bonus Points:

• Zero-to-Hero mindset – Experience taking a project from initial concept to full implementation.

• Experience with vector instructions – Understanding of SIMD, AVX, or similar vector processing techniques.

• Graphics shader knowledge – Background in graphics shaders as a proxy for CUDA expertise.

Benefits:

• Industry competitive pay

• Restricted Stock Units in a fast growing, well-funded technology company

• Health insurance package options that include HDHP and PPO, vision, and dental for you and your dependents

• Employer contributions to HSA accounts

• Paid Parental Leave

• Paid life insurance, short-term and long-term disability

• Teladoc

• 401(k) with a 100% match up to 4% of salary

• Generous paid time off and holiday schedule

• Cell phone reimbursement

• Tuition reimbursement

• Subscription to the Calm app

• MetLife Legal

• Company paid Commuter FSA benefit of $200 per month

Compensation:
Compensation will be paid in the range of $256,000 - $320,000 a year + Bonus. Restricted Stock Units are included in all offers. Compensation to be determined by the applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Crusoe is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, citizenship, marital status, sex/gender, sexual preference/ orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, national origin, or any other status protected by law or regulation.