Software Engineer - Platform Core (C++, C)

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Build and maintain the lean, high-reliability Linux-based operating system that underpins our supercomputer network fabric.
• Write (or rewrite) high-performance device drivers to extract the maximum physical capability from our network and compute hardware.
• Manage deployment, operation, and debugging of our platform in production, including:
• Rigorous resolution and root-causing of anomalies to ensure the system is constantly improving in reliability.
• Developing and constantly improving our tools for observability and configuration management.
• Collaborate with our hardware teams and external partners to design the next generation of supercomputer hardware – and then bring up our OS and software stack on it.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Hands-on systems programming experience in C or C++.
• Strong operating systems fundamentals (scheduling, memory management, I/O) — you must be able to articulate in extreme detail how a computer works, from the hardware all the way up to high-level applications.
• Understanding of computer networking, both in the host (OS stack) as well as common network devices like switches and routers.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Deep knowledge of the Linux kernel and its networking stack — transferable experience with another production-grade kernel is okay, too!
• Proficiency with debugging tools spanning kernel, network, and userspace (e.g., ftrace, perf, Wireshark/tcpdump, eBPF, gdb, and more).
• Experience bringing up new hardware from scratch — you have flashed bare-metal software on a microcontroller with JTAG, or bootstrapped a Linux kernel and rootfs on new hardware.
• Demonstrated track record of developing and optimizing device/peripheral drivers — ideally for high-speed interfaces, or with advanced considerations like DMA and cache coherency.
• Understanding of major peripheral hardware interface standards (Ethernet, PCIe, I2C, SPI, etc.) — you can critically review a schematic, and debug these interfaces if needed.
• Experience with product security, OS/system hardening, and secure boot schemes.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

$180,000 - $440,000 USD

Base salary is just one part of our total rewards package at xAI, which also includes equity, comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short & long-term disability insurance, life insurance, and various other discounts and perks.