
Infrastructure Engineering & Projects Intern at Etched (San Jose, CA)
Etched· San Jose, CA·
Role details
Etched at a glance
Transformer-specific ASICs and rack-scale systems that hardwire the transformer into silicon for faster, cheaper AI inference.
Etched designs transformer-specific ASICs and full rack-scale inference systems. Its Sohu chip hardwires the transformer architecture directly into silicon, trading a GPU's general-purpose flexibility for far higher throughput, lower latency, and better power efficiency on AI inference. Customers buy complete co-designed clusters, chip plus rack plus software, not standalone chips.
$800M raised · latest: $500M · led by Stripes · Dec 2025 (reported Jan 2026) · backed by Stripes, Peter Thiel, Ribbit Capital, VentureTech Alliance
Job description
About Etched
Etched is building hardware for frontier intelligence. We co-design chips, racks, software, and manufacturing to deliver best-in-class throughput and latency across both prefill and decode workloads. Our first products are heavily focused on inference. Backed by hundreds of millions from top-tier investors and staffed by leading engineers, Etched is redefining the infrastructure layer for the fastest growing industry in history.
Job Summary We’re seeking interns to support the design and buildout of Etched’s labs and data centers. You’ll work alongside experienced engineers and project leads, gaining hands-on experience with facility systems, construction projects, and engineering documentation. Assignments will focus on project engineering, project coordination, or CAD drafting based on your skills and interests. You do not need experience across all three areas.
Key Responsibilities
- Maintain project schedules, action items, equipment lists, and procurement trackers.
- Create and update CAD layouts and engineering drawings under supervision.
- Support site walks, field measurements, photo documentation, and installation tracking.
- Organize drawings, submittals, meeting notes, and project turnover documents.
- Assist engineers with basic calculations, equipment research, and commissioning documentation.
- Coordinate with engineers, project leads, and contractors to keep project information accurate and current.
You may be a good fit if you have (Must-have qualifications)
- Currently pursuing a degree or technical training in mechanical, electrical, civil, or architectural engineering; construction management; engineering technology; CAD drafting; or a related field.
- Strong organization, attention to detail, and follow-through.
- Clear communication and a willingness to ask questions.
- Familiarity with spreadsheets and an interest in hands-on work with physical infrastructure.
- Comfort working on-site in lab and construction environments.
Relevant coursework, student projects, technical programs, and previous internships all count. Prior data center experience is not required.
Strong candidates may also have experience with (Nice-to-have qualifications)
- Experience with AutoCAD, Revit, Bluebeam, or Excel.
- Exposure to construction projects, facilities work, or mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems.
- Experience maintaining technical drawings, project trackers, or engineering documentation.
CAD experience is required for drafting-focused assignments. Candidates interested in those assignments should be prepared to share drawing samples.
Benefits
- Housing subsidy of $1,250 per month for those living within walking distance of the office
- Various wellness benefits covering fitness, mental health, and more
- Daily lunch and dinner in our office
- Unlimited compute budget subject to ROI justification
How we’re different
Etched believes in theBitter Lesson. We are the first inference-focused frontier AI system, betting early on transformer and transformer-like architectures and on increasing model sizes. Our addressable market is the entirety of inference, unlike many of our competitors. We are a fully in-person team in San Jose (Santana Row), and greatly value engineering skills. We do not have boundaries between engineering and research, and we expect all of our technical staff to contribute to both and work across disciplines as needed.
Why work at Etched
- Mission-driven, high-impact engineering: “Building the hardware for superintelligence” – the company is solving one of the hardest problems in compute (inference efficiency) with a focused team.
- Top-tier team and learning environment: Colleagues from Google, NVIDIA, Apple, Tesla, Broadcom, and Intel; exposure to full-stack chip-to-system design.
- In-office culture: All roles are in-office (Cupertino and San Jose, CA). The company emphasizes on-site collaboration for hardware development. Notable perks are not heavily advertised, but compensation is competitive for the AI hardware space (equity-heavy).
- Growth trajectory: 141% headcount growth YoY, hundreds of open roles, and a $5B valuation signal strong backing and career acceleration potential.
- Intellectual challenge: Work on chip simulation, RTL design, system validation, or software infrastructure for cutting-edge AI inference.