---
title: 'ML Runtime and Kernel Engineer - Core ML at Cerebras Systems'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/ml-runtime-and-kernel-engineer-core-ml-cerebras-systems-sunnyvale-vgwa047mj6h4'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-10'
---

# ML Runtime and Kernel Engineer - Core ML at Cerebras Systems

- **Company:** [Cerebras Systems](https://feeny.ai/companies/cerebras-systems)
- **Location:** Sunnyvale, CA
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-09-28
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-10
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/cerebras/d6df4a44-a05f-4fac-b012-6d2e8bb981f6

## Job description

Cerebras Systems builds the world's largest AI chip, 56 times larger than GPUs. This architecture allows Cerebras to deliver industry-leading training and inference speeds; over 10 times faster than GPU-based hyperscale cloud inference services.

This order of magnitude increase in speed is transforming the user experience of AI applications, unlocking real-time iteration and increasing intelligence via additional agentic computation.

Cerebras works with the leading model labs, global enterprises, and cutting-edge AI-native startups. [OpenAI recently announced a multi-year partnership](https://openai.com/index/cerebras-partnership/) with Cerebras, to deploy 750 megawatts of scale, transforming key workloads with ultra high-speed inference.

## About The Role

The Core ML team develops novel machine learning algorithms that take advantage of the unique capabilities of the Cerebras Wafer-Scale Engine. Our work spans efficient LLM training and inference, parallel and diffusion-based generation, sparsity, scaling laws, and training dynamics. We are looking for an engineer to bridge the gap between promising research ideas and efficient execution on Cerebras systems. You will work across ML frameworks, compilers, runtimes, and low-level kernels to implement new algorithmic capabilities, diagnose performance bottlenecks, and turn research prototypes into robust, high-performance demonstrations. Depending on your background, your work may emphasize runtime capabilities such as token orchestration, scheduling, communication, and distributed execution; low-level kernel development for novel ML operations; or a combination of both.

## Responsibilities

- Design and implement runtime components and high-performance kernels required by novel Core ML algorithms.
- Translate research prototypes into efficient implementations for the Cerebras platform, including reference implementations and comparisons on GPUs where useful.
- Profile and debug performance across the ML framework, compiler, runtime, communication, and kernel layers.
- Optimize computation, memory movement, communication, and concurrency for large-scale training and low-latency inference.
- Develop benchmarks, instrumentation, and automated tests that validate functionality, performance, and numerical correctness.
- Collaborate closely with Core ML researchers and compiler, runtime, kernel, and inference engineers to evaluate design alternatives and deliver end-to-end capabilities.
- Contribute to software architecture and roadmap decisions by identifying recurring limitations and high-leverage platform improvements.

## Skills & Qualifications

- Bachelor’s, Master’s, PhD, or equivalent practical experience in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
- Experience developing high-performance systems software, ML systems, runtimes, compilers, or computational kernels.
- Strong programming skills in C++ and Python.
- Solid understanding of parallel programming, memory management, concurrency, data structures, and performance optimization.
- Proven ability to debug and profile complex software across multiple layers of a system.
- Familiarity with modern machine learning architectures and frameworks such as PyTorch or JAX.
- Ability to work effectively with researchers and translate evolving algorithmic requirements into reliable software.

## Preferred Skills & Qualifications

- Experience with CUDA, Triton, low-level assembly, accelerator programming, or a C-like domain-specific language.
- Experience with compiler internals, distributed runtimes, custom hardware interfaces, or HPC systems.
- Understanding of machine learning fundamentals and ML systems, with the ability to reason about how algorithmic choices affect accuracy, systems implementation and performance.
- Familiarity with LLM training or inference, including attention, KV-cache management, parallel generation, or distributed execution.
- Experience developing software in an industrial or academic research environment where requirements evolve through experimentation.
- Contributions to significant open-source systems, ML frameworks, compilers, or kernel libraries.

## Why Join Cerebras

People who are serious about software make their own hardware. At Cerebras, we have built a breakthrough architecture that is unlocking new opportunities for the AI industry. With dozens of model releases and rapid growth, we’ve reached an inflection point in our business. Members of our team tell us there are five main reasons they joined Cerebras:

- Build a breakthrough AI platform beyond the constraints of the GPU.
- Publish and open source their cutting-edge AI research.
- Work on one of the fastest AI supercomputers in the world.
- Enjoy job stability with startup vitality.
- Our simple, non-corporate work culture that respects individual beliefs.

Find out more about what it's like to work at Cerebras [here](https://www.cerebras.ai/join-us)! Apply today and become part of the forefront of groundbreaking advancements in AI! Cerebras Systems is committed to creating an equal and diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate different backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We believe inclusive teams build better products and companies. We try every day to build a work environment that empowers people to do their best work through continuous learning, growth and support of those around them. This website or its third-party tools process personal data. For more details, click [here](https://www.cerebras.net/privacy/) to review our CCPA disclosure notice.

## About Cerebras Systems

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Cerebras builds wafer-scale AI chips (the largest semiconductors ever made) and supercomputers that deliver up to 15x faster inference than GPUs, offered both on-premises and via cloud APIs.
- **Entity Type**: Public (NASDAQ: CBRS) — filed for IPO and now listed on the Nasdaq.
- **Headquarters**: Sunnyvale, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2015
- **Founders**: Andrew Feldman, Gary Lauterbach, Michael James, Sean Lie, Jean-Philippe Fricker

## Core Business
- **Primary industries**: Semiconductor manufacturing, AI computing hardware and software, cloud AI services.
- **Target customers**: B2B – enterprises, government research labs, cloud service providers, and AI developers.
- **Mission**: “Building impossible technologies so you can too” – accelerating AI through wafer-scale computing.

## Products & Services
- **Wafer-Scale Engine (WSE-3)**: The world’s largest AI chip (215 mm²), 58x larger than a typical GPU, built for ultra‑fast AI training and inference. Manufactured by TSMC.
- **CS-3 Supercomputer**: A single system powered by the WSE-3, delivering record-breaking AI performance for on-premises deployment.
- **Cerebras AI Inference Cloud & Training Cloud**: Pay-as-you‑go APIs that provide drop‑in OpenAI‑compatible access to Cerebras’ hardware for serving, fine‑tuning, and pre‑training models.
- **Condor Galaxy Network**: A series of supercomputers (e.g., CG‑1 with 4 exaFLOPs) built in partnership with G42 for high‑performance AI.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed (recently public; market cap data not available in provided sources).
- **Key Metric**: Annual revenue of $78.7 M (latest); total funding of $2.7 B across 15 rounds.
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: G42, OpenAI (signed in 2026), Amazon Web Services (signed in 2026), Meta (Llama API), Perplexity, Mistral, Hugging Face, OpenRouter.
- **Growth Signals**: 
  - 34.3% YoY headcount growth (701 employees).
  - Rapid data center expansion across North America and Europe.
  - Won the HPCwire Readers’ & Editors’ Choice 2025 for Best AI Product/Technology.
  - Named to Forbes America’s Best Startup Employers 2026 and Fast Company Most Innovative Companies 2026 (AI).

## Competitive Advantages
- **Wafer‑scale architecture**: Eliminates interconnect bottlenecks, reducing latency and delivering up to 15x faster inference than GPU clusters.
- **Largest AI chip ever built**: 58x larger than any GPU, enabling massive on‑chip memory (SRAM) and compute density.
- **Full‑stack offering**: Hardware + cloud APIs + on‑prem systems, giving customers deployment flexibility.
- **Strong customer relationships**: Key contracts with OpenAI, AWS, G42, and Mayo Clinic (2024 Gordon Bell Prize work).

## Strategic Focus
- **Scale inference capacity**: Building out data centers to become the world’s #1 provider of high‑speed AI inference.
- **Deepen cloud partnerships**: Expanding pay‑as‑you‑go cloud access and enterprise deployments.
- **Advance wafer‑scale technology**: Continuous R&D on WSE‑3 successors and software stack (compiler, ML workflows).
- **Broaden model support**: Already serving Llama, Gemma, Qwen, Mistral, and more; integrating with Hugging Face and OpenRouter.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: “Extraordinary people, breakthrough innovation, global impact” – the company highlights collaborative, low‑overhead teams with little bureaucracy.
- **Work environment**: Hybrid/office with locations in Sunnyvale, San Diego, Toronto, and Bangalore. Inclusive and flexible policy.
- **Perks**: Premium medical/dental/vision, life insurance, generous vacation, 401(k) and Group RRSP retirement plans, daily catered meals, healthy snacks, family‑friendly events (including CEO’s famous BBQ).
- **Engineering focus**: Tackling fundamental challenges in chip design, system software, compiler technology, and ML workflows. Positions range from hardware (Design Verification, Manufacturing) to software (SRE, Compiler, Cloud).
- **Philanthrophy**: Supports local communities and hosts students from around the world for Q&A.

## Sources
1. [cerebras.ai/company](https://www.cerebras.ai/company)
2. [cerebras.ai](https://www.cerebras.ai/)
3. [cerebras.ai/join-us](https://www.cerebras.ai/join-us)
4. [linkedin.com/company/cerebras-systems](https://www.linkedin.com/company/cerebras-systems)

## Other roles at Cerebras Systems

- [Developer Relations](https://feeny.ai/job/developer-relations-cerebras-systems-sunnyvale-my5ztdgg7000) — Sunnyvale, CA
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- [Staff Technical Program Manager, Data Center New Product Introduction](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-technical-program-manager-data-center-new-product-introduction-cerebras-ht0etjc8v7qz) — Sunnyvale, CA
- [Staff Technical Program Manager, Data Center Data & Tooling](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-technical-program-manager-data-center-data-tooling-cerebras-systems-3rwhqxeakvh7) — Sunnyvale, CA
- [Staff Technical Program Manager, Data Center Supply Chain](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-technical-program-manager-data-center-supply-chain-cerebras-systems-k51xz6y08yk8) — Sunnyvale, CA
- [AI Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/ai-engineer-cerebras-systems-sunnyvale-0nx4xzp63bh9) — Sunnyvale, CA
- [BMS / EPMS Controls Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/bms-epms-controls-lead-cerebras-systems-united-states-24sf3ksg7bbb) — United States
- [Senior Software Engineer, ML API – AI Inference](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-software-engineer-ml-api-ai-inference-cerebras-systems-toronto-myd4p8sxeaa5) — Toronto, Canada
- [Power Manufacturing Test Development Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/power-manufacturing-test-development-engineer-cerebras-systems-sunnyvale-x2ggztbzgte6) — Sunnyvale, CA
- [Staff Software Engineer, Observability](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-software-engineer-observability-cerebras-systems-sunnyvale-rb9wk9d4aw0y) — Sunnyvale, CA