Mechanical Engineer

About Etched

Etched is building the world’s first AI inference system purpose-built for transformers - delivering over 10x higher performance and dramatically lower cost and latency than a B200. With Etched ASICs, you can build products that would be impossible with GPUs, like real-time video generation models and extremely deep & parallel chain-of-thought reasoning agents. 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 are seeking an experienced Mechanical Engineer to join our team and help transform complex designs into reliable, high-power data center products. As a Mechanical Engineer at Etched, you will be integral to the development of high-performance data center products, from initial concept through to production. You will collaborate closely with both internal and external design engineers, including JDM (Joint Design Manufacturer) partners. Your expertise in mechanical design, particularly for data center chassis and high‑power systems, will ensure our products meet rigorous performance, reliability, and manufacturability standards.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and refine mechanical designs for high‑power data center products, ensuring robust performance and reliability. Manage the transition from appearance models to production‑ready designs.

• Work closely with internal design teams and external partners, including Joint Design Manufacturers (JDMs), to ensure seamless integration of mechanical designs with overall product architecture.

• Lead the design of data center chassis and enclosures from concept through production, focusing on meeting high power, cooling efficiency, and ruggedness requirements.

• Oversee and manage the development of both soft and hard tooling to support mass production, ensuring that all tooling meets strict quality and consistency specifications.

• Ensure that mechanical designs comply with manufacturing requirements, including shock and vibration standards, to guarantee durability and performance in demanding data center environments.

• Translate industrial design concepts into manufacturable designs, effectively converting appearance models into production‑ready mechanical solutions.

• Apply DFM principles to optimize designs for cost‑effective manufacturing, assembly, and maintenance, ensuring high efficiency and reduced production costs.

You may be a good fit if you have

• A Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field is essential. Advanced degrees or certifications in mechanical design or manufacturing are a plus.

• A minimum of 10 years of experience in mechanical engineering with a focus on high‑power data center products, including a proven track record in designing and managing chassis and enclosures for data centers, is required.

• Strong expertise in mechanical design and engineering principles is necessary, along with hands‑on experience in transforming industrial design concepts into production‑ready models.

• Extensive experience in data center chassis design, with a deep understanding of high‑power and cooling requirements, is important.

• Proficiency in mechanical CAD software and tools such as SolidWorks, Creo, FX, CATIA, or similar is required.

• A deep understanding of tooling processes, including both soft and hard tooling, and their impact on product design and production, is critical.

• Familiarity with manufacturing requirements and standards, including shock and vibration testing, is expected to ensure that designs are durable and meet industry expectations.

• Excellent problem‑solving skills and a keen attention to detail are essential to ensure that every aspect of design work is meticulously considered.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision packages with generous premium coverage

  • $500 per month credit for waiving medical benefits

• Housing subsidy of $2k per month for those living within walking distance of the office

• Relocation support for those moving to San Jose (Santana Row)

• Various wellness benefits covering fitness, mental health, and more

• Daily lunch + dinner in our office

How we’re different

Etched believes in Bitter Lesson. We think most of the progress in the AI field has come from using more FLOPs to train and run models, and the best way to get more FLOPs is to build model‑specific hardware. Larger and larger training runs encourage companies to consolidate around fewer model architectures, which creates a market for single‑model ASICs.

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 as needed.