HomeJobsVast AI › Research

Systems/GPU Research Engineer

Vast AI San Francisco, California, United States Full-time Research Posted Sep 13, 2025
Apply Now →

What it’s like to work at Vast AI

GPU Cloud Marketplace · LA & SF

5
Employee Rating
3.8
Work-Life Balance
9
Open Roles
eng-drivenship-fastflatmany-hatsequity

What employees love

  • Front-row seat to the AI compute revolution — demand for GPU cloud is surging
  • Strong compensation and generous equity stakes for a bootstrapped startup

What could be better

  • Processes are still being defined — expect ad hoc workflows
  • Intense workload — the team explicitly values high output
View full Vast AI culture profile →

About the Role

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.

Tech Stack

CUDA/C++, GPGPU, Python, Linux

Ideal Experience

Key Responsibilities

Interview Process

After submitting your application, our technical team reviews your credentials. If selected, you'll proceed through the following stages:

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

Similar Roles

More at Vast AI
AI Agent Researcher
San Francisco, California, United States
C++ Software Engineer — Systems
Los Angeles, California, United States; San Francisco, California, United States
GPU Systems Engineer – HPC / Parallel Computing
San Francisco, California, United States
Senior Infrastructure Engineer
Los Angeles, California, United States
Similar roles at other companies
Anthropic Fellows Program — ML Systems & Performance
Anthropic · London, UK; Ontario, CAN; Remote-Friendly, United States; San Francisco, CA
Software Engineer, Security
Cohere · Toronto
Member of Technical Staff (Software Engineer, Monetization)
Perplexity AI · San Francisco
AI Developer Advocate
Mistral AI · Paris
Data & AI Platform Architect (Professional Services)
Databricks · Remote - Denmark

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the work-life balance like at Vast AI?
Vast AI has a work-life balance score of 3.8/5 based on employee reviews. This is about average for the AI/tech industry.
What is Vast AI’s culture like?
Vast AI is characterized by these culture values: eng-driven, ship-fast, flat, many-hats, equity. Based on employee reviews, the company has an overall rating of 5/5. Front-row seat to the AI compute revolution — demand for GPU cloud is surging
How many open roles does Vast AI have?
Vast AI currently has 9 open roles across departments including engineering, product, sales, and more. Roles are refreshed daily from their careers page.
Is this role remote-friendly?
This role is located in San Francisco, California, United States. Check the job description above for specific location and remote work details.
Apply for this role at Vast AI →