--- title: 'AI Technology PhD Research Internship at Graphcore' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/ai-technology-phd-research-internship-graphcore-bristol-j45ar7tg9p4r' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-11-10' --- # AI Technology PhD Research Internship at Graphcore - **Company:** Graphcore - **Location:** Bristol, United Kingdom / Cambridge, MA / London, United Kingdom - **Posted:** 2026-10-20 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-10 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/graphcore/jobs/8894738002 ## Job description Location: UK based from either our Bristol, Cambridge or London office. Research PhD Internship Explore a research career at Graphcore through a PhD internship, gaining hands-on experience on real projects. You’ll bring fresh ideas, put your learning into practice and help shape what we’re creating. Along the way, you’ll tackle challenging problems with a team who welcome your questions and support you as you build your skills and confidence. ## What you’ll work on Explore how your research could inform the next generation of AI compute, working alongside researchers tackling questions shaped by real-world hardware and software challenges. Our team is interested in numerous topics across the field, working on problems where algorithms, hardware, and systems meet. These topics include large-scale pretraining and post-training of LLMs, efficient inference, numerics, world models, molecule generation for life science applications, and model safety and interpretability. Across all these directions, you’ll come up with new ideas, implement models and algorithms, design experiments, and present your findings (often in the form of a paper). You’ll have room to follow promising ideas and help shape your research direction, with mentoring as you test your thinking. Your work could contribute to public research shared with the wider AI community. ## Your team and support Graphcore Research explores the computational requirements of machine intelligence and how hardware can enable the next generation of AI models. The team publishes at leading AI and machine learning conferences, including NeurIPS, ICML and ICLR. You’ll learn alongside researchers working across a wide range of AI topics. Mentoring and open research discussions will give you opportunities to explore ideas, get feedback and decide which questions to pursue. Decisions are shaped by experimental evidence and technical discussion. As an intern, you’ll be encouraged to ask questions, challenge assumptions and share results early, with support from experienced researchers as you develop your ideas. ## How you’ll learn and grow Over the internship, you’ll build research experience by taking a question through experimentation, implementation and analysis. You’ll develop your judgement about what a result tells you, which ideas deserve further investigation and how to communicate your findings clearly. Exploring both theory and practical experiments will help you understand how your research connects to AI models, hardware and systems, and where you’d like to take it next. ## What we're looking for - Currently studying for a PhD specialising in AI or machine learning. - Strong coding ability in Python or C++, demonstrated through projects, research or other practical experience - Experience implementing algorithms in machine learning frameworks such as PyTorch - The ability to design experiments, interpret results and communicate research clearly, with curiosity about both theory and practical experimentation Previous industry experience is not required. Tell us about a research question you explored, how you approached it and what you learned through your experiments. ## Benefits - Flexible working: Find a balance between your internship and life outside work - Life in the office: Get to know your colleagues in spaces designed for collaboration, with free food and a great selection of ice cream! - Develop your research in an industry setting, exchanging ideas with experienced researchers and engineers We welcome people from all backgrounds and experiences and are committed to building an inclusive environment where everyone can do their best work. We’re an equal opportunity employer and recognise that everyone brings different strengths and perspectives. If you need any adjustments during the interview process, just let us know - we’re happy to support you. Sponsorship Applicants must already have the right to work in the UK for the full duration of the programme, without requiring visa sponsorship. We are unable to sponsor work visas for our Early Careers opportunities. Introduction to Graphcore At Graphcore, we’re building next generation AI compute: from semiconductors and software to systems at datacenter scale. We are proud to be owned by SoftBank Group and work with other companies in the SoftBank family to deliver AI compute to customers working at the AI frontier. An internship at Graphcore gives you the chance to explore where your interests and skills could take you. You’ll work alongside people with different backgrounds and expertise, from AI researchers to chip designers and software engineers. Together, you’ll share ideas and solve challenging problems, building experience and confidence to help you decide what comes next. Curious about where your skills could take you? Apply for a PhD internship at Graphcore and help us build what comes next. ## About Graphcore ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Graphcore designs and builds the Intelligence Processing Unit (IPU), a processor purpose-built for machine intelligence, and provides a complete AI compute stack from silicon to software. - **Entity Type**: Private (wholly owned subsidiary of SoftBank Group Corp as of 2025/2026) - **Headquarters**: Bristol, England, UK - **Founded**: 2016 - **Founders**: Nigel Toon and Simon Knowles ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: AI hardware/accelerators, semiconductor design, AI software platform - **Target customers**: Cloud providers (Microsoft Azure), enterprises, AI researchers, hyperscalers - **Mission statement**: “Let innovators create the next breakthroughs in machine intelligence to enhance human potential” ## Products & Services - **[IPU (Intelligence Processing Unit)](https://www.graphcore.ai/)**: A processor designed from the ground up for machine intelligence workloads; uses a massively parallel architecture (MIMD) with fine-grained compute and on-chip memory. - **[IPU-Machine M2000](https://www.graphcore.ai/about)**: Second-generation IPU platform – a 1U server appliance housing 4 MK2 GC200 IPU processors, delivering an 8× performance uplift over the first generation. - **[C2 IPU Accelerator PCIe Card](https://www.graphcore.ai/about)**: PCIe form factor accelerator for server integration, first demonstrated at ICML 2018. - **[Poplar Software Stack](https://www.graphcore.ai/)**: Full SDK and framework integration (PyTorch, TensorFlow) that lets developers target the IPU directly. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Acquired by SoftBank Group Corp (amount undisclosed); prior to acquisition valued at $2.77 B (Series E, lead by Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board). - **Key Metric**: Total funding raised prior to acquisition – over $680 M across Series A through E. - **Notable Investors/Partners**: SoftBank (owner), Microsoft (customer and investor), BMW, Samsung, Dell Technologies, Bosch, Sequoia Capital, Atomico, Fidelity, Baillie Gifford, Ontario Teachers’. - **Growth Signals**: Part of the fast-growing SoftBank AI ecosystem; expanding teams globally (Bristol, London, Cambridge, Gdańsk, Hsinchu, Bengaluru); first customer (Microsoft Azure) live since 2018. ## Competitive Advantages - **First purpose-built AI processor**: The IPU architecture is fundamentally different from GPUs – designed specifically for the sparse, parallel nature of neural network computation. - **Full stack ownership**: Graphcore controls silicon, system hardware, and software (Poplar), enabling tight optimisation across the entire compute chain. - **Cloud + on‑prem availability**: IPUs are available in the cloud on Microsoft Azure and as hardware from Dell, giving customers flexible deployment options. - **Strong IP and ecosystem**: 99+ engineering staff; deep expertise in semiconductor, systems, and AI software, backed by long-term SoftBank investment. ## Strategic Focus - **Scale AI infrastructure**: Delivering key technology into SoftBank’s global AI ecosystem and expanding the IPU platform to meet growing demand for AI compute. - **Expand into new regions**: Opening offices and hiring in India (Bengaluru) and across Europe (Gdańsk, London, Cambridge) to accelerate R&D and customer support. - **Democratise AI**: Continuing to lower the barrier for machine intelligence by providing accessible, high-efficiency hardware and software for innovators worldwide. ## Why Work Here - **Flexible hybrid work**: Employees are expected on-site three days a week, with trust and flexibility to balance work and life. - **Comprehensive benefits**: Unlimited annual leave, private medical insurance (UK), dental & health cash plan, income protection, life assurance, pension matched up to 5%, generous parental leave, and a personal development plan. - **Culture and growth**: ML reading groups, board game socials, book clubs, yoga, running, watersports, team events; strong DE+I initiatives; ambitious but supportive environment. - **Perks**: Free barista‑made coffee, snacks, and wellbeing rooms; cycle‑to‑work scheme; gym membership discount; education/training allowances. - **Purpose-driven work**: Opportunity to shape the future of AI compute and see your contributions used by global innovators. ## Sources 1. [graphcore.ai/about](https://www.graphcore.ai/about) 2. [graphcore.ai/](https://www.graphcore.ai/) 3. [graphcore.ai/careers](https://www.graphcore.ai/careers) 4. [graphcore.ai/jobs](https://www.graphcore.ai/jobs) 5. [builtin.com/company/graphcore](https://builtin.com/company/graphcore) ## Other roles at Graphcore - [Technology Owner](https://feeny.ai/job/technology-owner-graphcore-bristol-n7932aqtncqw) — Bristol, United Kingdom - [Staff Engineering Program Coordination Support](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-engineering-program-coordination-support-graphcore-milpitas-6brm2n8e5s7y) — Milpitas, CA - [Corporate Travel Coordinator](https://feeny.ai/job/corporate-travel-coordinator-graphcore-bristol-3d3ffcpseesb) — Bristol, United Kingdom - [Lab Technician](https://feeny.ai/job/lab-technician-graphcore-bristol-1qse0fjvvph3) — Bristol, United Kingdom - [Programme Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/programme-manager-graphcore-bristol-vzkcxrjsjam9) — Bristol, United Kingdom - [Senior Network Operations Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-network-operations-engineer-graphcore-bristol-e40gft647ps9) — Bristol, United Kingdom - [Validation Chief of Staff](https://feeny.ai/job/validation-chief-of-staff-graphcore-austin-rmxtbeb85sjq) — Austin, TX - [Senior System Tests & Diagnostics Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-system-tests-diagnostics-engineer-graphcore-austin-2jtewzvghbe4) — Austin, TX - [Principal System Tests & Diagnostics Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-system-tests-diagnostics-engineer-graphcore-austin-by73g50t5bt3) — Austin, TX - [Staff Hardware Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-hardware-engineer-graphcore-austin-aznbnbmq9sx6) — Austin, TX