Compute Systems Architect - Expeditionary AI/HPC Data Centers

Anduril • Mountain View, CA

1d • $146,000 - $222,000

About The Position

Anduril Expeditionary Systems (AES) is building air-transportable, power-constrained, hardened AI Factories and command/control centers for processing petabyte-scale data and producing decisions at machine speed from forward operating bases. These tactical high-performance computing centers are optimized for AI inference at the tactical edge and integrated with Lattice, and are designed to operate in austere, contested, and DDIL (degraded, denied, intermittent, and limited) environments.

The Compute Systems Architect will design and build these tactical AI/HPC data centers from the ground up, owning the architecture from compute hardware through power, networking, thermal management, and physical hardening. The role will lead systems through prototyping, field testing, operational validation, and production, while helping define standards and best practices for tactical AI compute infrastructure across AES product lines. The exact candidate title and level will be determined based on technical acumen, professional experience, leadership ability, and interview assessment.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field.
• At least 5 years of experience designing and deploying data center infrastructure, HPC clusters, large-scale compute systems, or tensor/accelerator compute nodes.
• At least 8 years of engineering experience designing and deploying electrical products.
• Deep expertise in GPU-accelerated computing architecture for AI/ML workloads using NVIDIA, AMD, or similar platforms.
• Strong understanding of power distribution for high-density compute, including PDUs, power shelves, UPS systems, generators, chillers, and energy management.
• Experience with thermal management for high-power-density systems, including liquid cooling and chiller systems.
• Proven track record building and deploying production infrastructure from concept through operational scale.
• Systems-thinking ability to optimize competing constraints, including performance, power, thermal management, weight, cost, and reliability.
• U.S. Person status (U.S. citizen, permanent resident, refugee, or asylee).
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance; U.S. citizenship may be required.
• Ability to travel up to 15% of the time.

Nice To Haves

• Background in AI/ML infrastructure supporting large-scale inference, computer vision, or autonomous systems.
• Experience with high-speed compute infrastructure networking and network topologies.
• Familiarity with edge computing architectures, distributed inference systems, or autonomous vehicles.
• Background in three-phase power distribution or high-voltage battery systems.
• Experience with tactical military systems, ruggedized computing, or deployable infrastructure in austere or contested environments.
• Knowledge of military environmental standards such as MIL-STD-810 and MIL-STD-461, and expeditionary deployability requirements.
• Hands-on experience with containerized or modular data center designs, including ISO containers and mobile facilities.
• Experience with expeditionary or forward operating base infrastructure.
• Knowledge of electromagnetic hardening and operation in GPS-denied or communications-contested environments.
• Experience with SCIF design or accreditation for classified environments.
• Background in aerospace, defense, autonomous vehicles, EVs, or safety-critical industries with rigorous qualification requirements.
• Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in a relevant engineering discipline.
• Active Secret Clearance or higher.

Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end architecture of tactical AI Factory data centers, including compute hardware, power architecture, networking, and thermal cooling systems.
• Design GPU-accelerated compute clusters optimized for tactical-edge AI inference and training workloads.
• Engineer thermal solutions for high-density compute without traditional data center infrastructure, including liquid, immersion, and hybrid cooling systems.
• Design air-transportable, modular systems such as containerized, palletized, or vehicle-mounted systems for rapid deployment.
• Build infrastructure for austere and contested environments, including extreme temperatures, limited grid power, SCIF accreditation, and electromagnetic hardening.
• Coordinate closely with Lattice and AI/ML teams to align physical infrastructure with mission-critical software requirements.
• Partner with defense customers to translate operational requirements into technical architectures.
• Lead prototyping, field testing, and operational validation through military exercises and real-world deployments.
• Drive systems from concept through production at scale across hardware, software, supply chain, and program teams.
• Define standards and best practices for tactical AI compute infrastructure across AES product lines.

Benefits

• Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full-time offers.
• Top-tier benefits package available at little to no cost to employees.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior