OpenAI · 1 day ago
Thermal Engineer
San Francisco, CA
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level
$310K/yr - $460K/yr
7+ years expOpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. The Thermal Engineer will design and optimize thermal solutions for data center hardware, collaborating with cross-functional teams to ensure the reliability and efficiency of mission-critical hardware.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)Generative AIMachine LearningNatural Language ProcessingSaaS
Responsibilities
Design and optimize thermal solutions for data center hardware, including chips, power modules, and system-level cooling architectures
Evaluate thermal performance at the chip, package, and board levels, addressing challenges related to power density, heat dissipation, and thermal interface materials
Perform thermal modeling and simulation to predict temperature profiles and identify thermal bottlenecks
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate thermal management strategies into hardware design, from concept to mass production
Support lab testing and validation, including the setup of thermal experiments, data acquisition, and troubleshooting of thermal performance issues
Design and select thermal components, such as cold plates, heat sinks, fans, vapor chambers, and thermal interface materials (TIMs)
Work with firmware and electrical engineers to define and implement thermal control algorithms for dynamic power and cooling management
Conduct feasibility studies and trade-off analyses to evaluate cooling technologies and improve system thermal efficiency
Partner with suppliers and manufacturers to support the development of custom thermal components and ensure quality in production
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Thermal Engineering, or a related field (Master's preferred)
7+ years of industry experience in thermal design, simulation, and validation for IT hardware
Proficiency in thermal simulation software and CAD tools
Strong understanding of heat transfer principles, thermodynamics, and fluid mechanics, with an emphasis on electronics cooling
Hands-on experience with thermal testing equipment, including thermocouples, infrared cameras, wind tunnels, and P-Q characterization setups
Experience in chip/package-level thermal analysis, including die-level heat spreading, and package thermal modeling
Ability to analyze experimental data, identify root causes of thermal issues, and implement corrective actions
Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to perform first-principles calculations to support design decisions
Self-driven, detail-oriented, and able to work independently or collaboratively in cross-functional engineering environments
Preferred
10+ years of industry experience in thermal design, simulation, and validation for IT hardware
Extensive experience with data center hardware or high-performance computing systems at scale
Practical experience in developing advanced cooling technologies
Familiarity with thermal control algorithms and dynamic thermal management techniques
Understanding of reliability testing, failure analysis, and thermal stress testing for electronic components
Experience working with suppliers and manufacturing partners to support thermal solution development and production ramp-up
Company
OpenAI
OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company that develops advanced AI models, including ChatGPT. It is a sub-organization of OpenAI Foundation.
201-500 employees
H1B Sponsorship
OpenAI has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (1)
2024 (1)
2023 (1)
2022 (18)
2021 (10)
2020 (6)
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageTotal Funding
$79BKey Investors
The Walt Disney CompanySoftBankThrive Capital
2025-12-11Corporate Round· $1B
2025-10-02Secondary Market· $6.6B
2025-03-31Series Unknown· $40B
Leadership Team
Sam Altman
CEO & Co-Founder
Greg Brockman
President, Chairman, & Co-Founder
Recent News
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