AI Inference Systems & Optimization

Overview

Microsoft AI is looking for a Member of Technical Staff, Inference Systems Research to help build the next generation of AI infrastructure powering frontier model development. The Inference Systems team is an applied research team that builds and maintains the infrastructure that runs Microsoft’s frontier models. We partner with researchers to efficiently run models in RL, synthetic data generation, evals, production, and more on one of the largest compute fleets in the world.

The team is vertically integrated, owning everything from kernels to inference algorithms, model architecture co-design, ASIC co-design, distributed systems, and profiling and testing tools. Much of our research focus is on optimizing the reinforcement learning loop. We are embedded directly in Microsoft AI’s research org to work as closely as possible with researchers.

This role could be a great match for you if you:

• Understand modern generative AI architectures and how to optimize them for inference.
• Are familiar with the internals of open-source inference frameworks like vLLM and SGLang.
• Value clear communication, improving team processes, and being a supportive team player.
• Are results-oriented, have a bias toward action, and enjoy owning problems end-to-end.
• Have or can quickly gain familiarity with modern Python and its tooling, PyTorch, Nvidia GPU kernel programming and optimization, Infiniband, and NVLink.

Microsoft's mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond. 
 
Microsoft AI 
 
This role is part of Microsoft AI. Our team is a startup-like organization within Microsoft, dedicated to pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence while maintaining a strong commitment to safety, responsibility, and human values.

Our mission is to build AI that amplifies human potential and empowers people around the world. We strive to deliver breakthroughs that advance science, education, productivity, and global well-being.

We’re also fortunate to partner with incredible product teams giving our models the chance to reach billions of users and create immense positive impact. If you’re a brilliant, highly-ambitious and low ego individual, you’ll fit right in—come and join us as we work on our next generation of models!

MAI employees are expected to work from a designated Microsoft office at least four days a week if they live within 50 miles (U.S.) or 25 miles (non-U.S., country-specific) of that location. This expectation is subject to local law and may vary by jurisdiction.

Responsibilities

• Work alongside researchers and engineers to implement frontier AI research ideas.
• Introduce new systems, tools, and techniques to improve model inference performance.
• Build tools to help debug performance bottlenecks, numeric instabilities, and distributed systems issues.
• Build tools and establish processes to enhance the team’s collective productivity.
• Find ways to overcome roadblocks and deliver your work to users quickly and iteratively.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 6+ years of software engineering experience.
• Experience building large-scale distributed systems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with AI/ML infrastructure, inference, or generative AI.
• Experience optimizing large-scale systems for performance and efficiency.

Software Engineering IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $142,800 - $274,800 per year. 

There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $188,000 - $304,200 per year.