Senior Performance Engineer, Inference (Sunnyvale)

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 with Cerebras, to deploy 750 megawatts of scale, transforming key workloads with ultra high-speed inference.About The RoleWe are hiring a Senior Performance Engineer to join our Product team. You are an expert on state-of-the-art inference performance and will serve as our resident expert on how Cerebras stacks up against alternative inference providers on both price and performance. This role sits at the intersection of performance benchmarking from first principles and competitive intelligence. The role has two core pillars:Performance BenchmarkingYou will build, run, and maintain reproducible benchmarks that measure Cerebras inference performance for real customer workloads. This includes metrics like tokens per second, time to first token, latency under concurrency, and total cost of ownership (TCO). Competitive Pricing IntelligenceYou will build and maintain a living model of competitor pricing across the AI inference landscape, including cloud providers, custom silicon vendors, and inference API platforms. You will work directly with our Sales and Product teams to translate this intelligence into pricing recommendations for enterprise contracts, ensuring Cerebras offers a compelling value proposition for every customer.This role requires deep, hands-on fluency with open-source inference stacks (vLLM, SGLang, TensorRT-LLM), GPU kernel-level optimization toolchains (CUDA, Triton), and an intuitive understanding of how transformer architecture decisions—attention mechanisms, model sizing, quantization, KV-cache strategies—interact with the realities of GPU memory hierarchies and compute budgets. ResponsibilitiesDesign standardized benchmark suites for inference workloads (code generation, summarization, multi-turn conversation, agentic tool use) that enable fair, reproducible comparisons. Stay current with GPU optimization communities (CUDA, Triton, TensorRT) and evaluate how new kernel fusions, flash-attention variants, and quantization techniques shift performance ceilings. Build and continuously update a competitive pricing model covering token-based pricing, throughput-based pricing, and enterprise contract structures across major inference providers. Monitor industry announcements, pricing changes, and new product launches. Synthesize findings into actionable briefs for the Sales and Product teams. Partner with Sales to build deal-specific competitive analyses showing total cost of ownership and performance advantages for enterprise prospects. Collaborate with Product and Engineering to identify where competitors are closing gaps or where Cerebras has underappreciated advantages. Track third-party benchmarking sources (Artificial Analysis, InferenceX) and ensure Cerebras is well-represented and accurately measured. Skills & QualificationsRequiredDeep practical experience with state-of-the-art open-source inference frameworks like vLLM, SGLang, or TensorRT-LLM. 5+ years of experience in ML systems, ML research engineering, or high-performance computing. Strong understanding of LLM inference economics: tokens, throughput, latency, batch sizes, precision trade-offs, and how these translate to customer cost. Strong understanding of transformer model architecture internals such as attention mechanisms (MHA, MQA,GQA, MLA, DSA, MHA) and KV-cache management, and how each affects memory and compute profiles. Self-directed and resourceful. PreferredBackground in ML research (publications or significant open-source contributions) with a systems or efficiency focus. Contributions to open-source inference or kernel optimization projects. Excellent communication skills. You will collaborate with executives, write for engineers, and create materials for sales leaders. Why Join CerebrasPeople 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! 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 to review our CCPA disclosure notice.LocationHeadquarters/Sunnyvale OfficeEmployment TypeFull timeLocation TypeOn-siteDepartmentSoftware