Principal Ai Performance Engineer - Gpu Kernels

WHAT YOU DO AT AMD CHANGES EVERYTHING At AMD, our mission is to build great products that accelerate next-generation computing experiences—from AI and data centers, to PCs, gaming and embedded systems. Grounded in a culture of innovation and collaboration, we believe real progress comes from bold ideas, human ingenuity and a shared passion to create something extraordinary. When you join AMD, you'll discover the real differentiator is our culture. We push the limits of innovation to solve the world's most important challenges—striving for execution excellence, while being direct, humble, collaborative, and inclusive of diverse perspectives. Join us as we shape the future of AI and beyond. Together, we advance your career. THE ROLE: AMD is looking for a senior software engineer to lead the development of high-performance GPU kernels for frontier AI workloads, including large language models, mixture-of-experts architectures, and diffusion models. You will be a technical leader within a core team of incredibly talented industry specialists, driving architecture decisions and mentoring engineers while working with the very latest hardware and software technology. THE PERSON: The ideal candidate should be passionate about software engineering and possess strong technical leadership skills to drive sophisticated cross-functional issues to resolution. Able to influence technical direction, communicate effectively, and work optimally with different teams across AMD and with external partners. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES: Lead the identification and implementation of improvements to machine-learning kernels for AMD GPUs, with a focus on performance and power efficiency Define technical strategy and best practices for kernel development within the team Stay informed about software and hardware trends, particularly in GPU architecture and ML algorithms, and translate insights into actionable roadmap items Improve development workflows and CI infrastructure to enable faster and more reliable delivery Architect and develop new, innovative GPU and ML technologies Debug and resolve complex issues, and research alternative, more efficient implementations Mentor junior and mid-level engineers, raising the technical bar across the team Build and maintain strong technical relationships with internal teams and external partners, influencing upstream roadmaps and priorities PREFERRED EXPERIENCE: Deep understanding of modern GPU architectures and micro-architectural performance characteristics 7+ years of GPU software development experience using HIP, CUDA, or OpenCL Experience working directly with Hardware ISA is a big plus 8+ years of system-level programming experience in C++ and/or Python (C++17 or later preferred) Proven track record of leading technical projects from design through delivery Experience with GPU profiling, debugging, benchmarking, and performance analysis tools Background in high-performance computing (HPC) or other performance-critical systems Familiarity with modern ML frameworks such as PyTorch, vLLM and SGLang Experience with tile-based programming models and frameworks (e.G., Triton/Gluon, CUTLASS, CK) Experience with GPU compiler toolchains (e.G., LLVM) and intermediate representations (e.G., MLIR, LLVM IR, Triton IR) is a strong plus Experience mentoring engineers and driving technical excellence within a team Strong written and verbal English communication skills ACADEMIC CREDENTIALS: Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent. PhD is a plus. AMD does not accept unsolicited resumes from headhunters, recruitment agencies, or fee-based recruitment services. AMD and its subsidiaries are equal opportunity, inclusive employers and will consider all applicants without regard to age, ancestry, color, marital status, medical condition, mental or physical disability, national origin, race, religion, political and/or third-party affiliation, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We encourage applications from all qualified candidates and will accommodate applicants' needs under the respective laws throughout all stages of the recruitment and selection process