Senior Hardware Development Engineer - Cloud AI/ML Server Team

Description

Application deadline: Nov 15, 2026

AWS operates the world's largest fleet of GPU-accelerated servers powering AI/ML training and inference at cloud scale. Our team defines the server architectures, drives the hardware designs, and owns the fleet quality for these platforms — from component selection through datacenter operations. If you want to shape the physical hardware that frontier models train on, this is the role.

We are seeking a Cloud Hardware Development Engineer to define server architectures based on workload demand, translate them into detailed component specifications, and drive validation from PCBA bring-up through rack integration. You will lead ODM design partners through development and production, triage hardware issues across manufacturing and datacenters, and own fleet quality metrics post-launch.

What You Will Do

You will define the hardware that runs the world's largest AI training workloads. Your designs span electrical, thermal, mechanical, power, and signal integrity across GPU-accelerated platforms. You will drive validation from first silicon through fleet-scale deployment, triage failures correlating across PCIe, power delivery, memory, and accelerator interconnects, and feed root cause findings back into design improvements. When a new server platform launches at a large scale, the architecture, component choices, and quality gates are yours.

Why You Will Love It

The world's most advanced frontier models train on the hardware you design. You will see your architecture decisions scale to a large fleet of servers. The team is deeply technical and high-trust — you own platforms end to end from architecture definition through fleet operations.


The Ideal Candidate

You think across the full hardware stack — from silicon packaging and power delivery to rack-level thermal and mechanical design. You are as comfortable reviewing a schematic as you are analyzing fleet failure data. You drive quality through data, not assumption, and you hold design partners to the same standard you hold yourself. You mentor and develop junior engineers, contribute to hiring, and share your expertise to make the team stronger.


Key job responsibilities
Architecture & Design

- Define server architectures based on workload demand and customer requirements, translating them into detailed designs and component specifications that enable high-performance AI training and inference at scale
- Work with interdisciplinary teams of component, firmware, test, qualification, and integration engineers to deliver cohesive designs
- Drive design reviews with ODM/JDM partners covering schematic, layout, BOM, and manufacturing DFx (Design for Test, Design for Manufacturing)


Validation & Bring-up
- Define and execute validation strategies from PCBA bring-up through server and rack integration — covering power sequencing, signal integrity, thermal characterization, and accelerator interconnect performance
- Own hardware debug during EVT/DVT/PVT builds, correlating failures across PCIe, power rails, memory channels, and GPU subsystems
- Triage hardware issues at both ODM facilities and datacenters, conduct root cause analysis, and implement corrective actions


Fleet Quality & Continuous Improvement
- Own fleet quality metrics post-launch: server-level annualized failure rates and component-level failure modes
- Monitor operational telemetry to identify systemic issues and drive design or process changes for current and future platforms
- Partner with test and automation teams to improve manufacturing yield and reduce test dwell times


Cross-Team Collaboration
- Work with EC2 architecture teams to align on instance definitions, workload requirements, and platform trade-offs
- Drive ODM/JDM design partners through development milestones and production ramp
- Collaborate with firmware, software, and operations teams to ensure designs are debuggable, serviceable, and automation-ready

May require occasional (<10%) regional and international travel to Design and Manufacturing Partner sites

A day in the life
You start the day reviewing thermal and power validation data from an EVT build at your ODM partner. Mid-morning, you join a design review to close signal integrity findings on a high-speed accelerator interconnect. In the afternoon, you triage a fleet quality signal — correlating component-level failure data with manufacturing lot information to identify a systemic issue. You end the day aligning with architecture teams on requirements for the next-generation platform.

About the team
The Hardware Engineering AI/ML Server platform team is a group of engineers and technical program managers directly responsible for launching GPU-accelerated servers into the AWS fleet. Located in Seattle, Denver, and Cupertino, we collaborate with global development teams and ODM partners to deliver next-generation AI/ML infrastructure deployed in datacenters worldwide. We move fast with small, empowered teams delivering end-to-end — from server conception through fleet-scale operations.

Basic Qualifications

- Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or equivalent
- Experience in developing functional specifications, design verification plans and functional test procedures
- 7+ years of hardware design and development experience for server, compute, or large-scale infrastructure platforms
- Experience in one or more server technologies: thermal/mechanical design, power delivery, high-speed signal integrity, or accelerator subsystems
- Experience leading hardware development through full product lifecycle (concept through production ramp)

Preferred Qualifications

- Master's degree or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field
- 5+ years of experience working with ODMs through the product development and manufacturing lifecycle (EVT, DVT, PVT)
- In-depth expertise in high-speed bus design, signal integrity analysis, or power delivery for GPU/accelerator platforms
- 5+ years of experience with hardware bring-up, debug, and root cause analysis across PCIe, NVMe, memory, and accelerator interconnects
- Experience owning fleet quality metrics and driving design improvements based on operational failure data
- Experience with thermal/mechanical design for high-power-density compute platforms (liquid cooling, air cooling, or hybrid)

Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.

Los Angeles County applicants: Job duties for this position include: work safely and cooperatively with other employees, supervisors, and staff; adhere to standards of excellence despite stressful conditions; communicate effectively and respectfully with employees, supervisors, and staff to ensure exceptional customer service; and follow all federal, state, and local laws and Company policies. Criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship with some of the material job duties of this position. These include the duties and responsibilities listed above, as well as the abilities to adhere to company policies, exercise sound judgment, effectively manage stress and work safely and respectfully with others, exhibit trustworthiness and professionalism, and safeguard business operations and the Company’s reputation. Pursuant to the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

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The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.