Senior Thermal Engineer

Eridu is a Silicon Valley-based hardware startup pioneering infrastructure solutions that accelerate training and inference for large-scale AI models. Today’s AI performance is frequently limited by system-level bottlenecks. Eridu AI delivers multiple industry-first innovations across semiconductors, software, and systems to unlock greater GPU utilization, reduce capital and power costs, and maximize data center efficiency. The company’s solutions and value proposition have been validated by several leading hyperscalers. The company is led by a veteran team of Silicon Valley executives and engineers with decades of experience in state-of-the‑art semiconductors, optics, software, and systems, including serial entrepreneur Drew Perkins, co‑founder of Infinera (NASDAQ: INFN), Lightera (acq. by Ciena), Gainspeed (acq. by Nokia) and Mojo Vision (World’s leading micro‑LED company and developer of the first augmented reality contact lens). About the Role We are seeking an innovative and experienced Senior Liquid Cooling Thermal Engineer, including manifold design and its connectivity, to lead the thermal architecture, analysis, and validation of high‑performance computing and communication hardware. This role requires deep expertise in electronics thermal management, system‑level integration, and advanced cooling technologies, along with the ability to drive thermal design decisions across silicon, package, module, and system boundaries. The Senior Thermal Engineer will work closely with mechanical, electrical, packaging, and manufacturing teams to ensure thermal solutions meet performance, reliability, and scalability requirements from concept through high‑volume production. Key Responsibilities Thermal Architecture & Design: Define and drive liquid cooling thermal architecture for rack‑mounted systems, compute modules, and advanced packages. Establish thermal requirements, budgets, and margins to meet system performance and reliability goals. Thermal Modeling & Simulation: Develop and execute steady‑state and transient thermal simulations at die, package (CoWoS, SoW), module, and system levels. Use simulation results to guide design tradeoffs, cooling technology selection, and system integration decisions. Advanced Cooling Solutions: Design and evaluate thermal solutions including cold plates, heat sinks, heat spreaders, manifolds, TIMs, and system airflow. Support innovation in liquid cooling approaches for high‑power, high‑density electronics. Prototyping & Testing: Define thermal test strategies and instrumentation plans. Execute thermal characterization, power mapping, and correlation of lab data with simulation results. Drive design iterations based on test outcomes. Cross‑Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with mechanical, electrical, packaging, and manufacturing engineers to ensure thermal considerations are integrated into system, enclosure, and package designs. Collaborate with external partners (ODMs, OSATs, cooling vendors) as needed. Design for Manufacturability & Risk Mitigation: Apply thermal DFM principles early in the design cycle. Participate in FMEA activities, identify thermal risks, and lead mitigation strategies to address reliability, yield, and manufacturability challenges. Documentation & Communication: Develop comprehensive thermal documentation, including requirements, specifications, simulation reports, test plans, and validation summaries. Present findings and recommendations to technical and non‑technical stakeholders. Quality & Reliability Support: Support qualification and reliability testing efforts, including thermal cycling and stress testing, and ensure compliance with relevant industry standards. Minimum Qualifications Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical/Thermal Engineering, or a related field 5+ years of experience in liquid cooling thermal engineering for electronics, with a proven track record of bringing products from concept to high‑volume production Strong knowledge of heat transfer and thermal management for electronics systems, including package- and system‑level cooling Experience with thermal simulation tools such as Icepak, Flotherm, COMSOL, or ANSYS Familiarity with thermal validation, lab instrumentation, and data analysis Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly document technical concepts and collaborate across cross‑functional teams Preferred Qualifications Ph.D. in Mechanical/Thermal Engineering, or a related field 10+ years of experience in thermal design for high‑performance computing, AI, or communication hardware Experience with advanced packaging and high‑power‑density modules (e.g., multi‑die, chiplet‑based systems) Experience designing and deploying liquid cooling solutions, including cold plates, manifolds, and CDUs Understanding of thermo‑mechanical interactions such as warpage, CTE mismatch, and TIM behavior Experience collaborating with ODMs, OSATs, and manufacturing partners to solve thermal and integration challenges Experience with statistical or data analysis tools such as JMP is a plus Why Join Us? At Eridu, you’ll have the opportunity to shape the future of AI infrastructure, working with a world‑class team on groundbreaking technology that pushes the boundaries of AI performance. Your contributions will directly impact the next generation of AI networking solutions, transforming data center capabilities. The starting base salary for the selected candidate will be established based on their relevant skills, experience, qualifications, work location, market trends, and the compensation of employees in comparable roles. The pay range for this role is: 225,000 - 275,000 USD per year (Saratoga, CA) #J-18808-Ljbffr Eridu AI