Lead Engineer, Data Center Electrical

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc•San Jose, CA

About The Position

AMD is seeking a Lead Engineer, Data Center Electrical to provide technical leadership for the electrical design and validation of large-scale AI data centers. This is a grid-to-chip role: you will assess utility and onsite power interfaces, substations, medium- and low-voltage distribution, backup systems, and the final connection to GPU racks. You will develop reusable electrical requirements for AMD’s data center Basis of Design (BOD), then evaluate developer designs, construction progress, commissioning evidence, and readiness against those requirements. You will recommend practical solutions that improve GPU capacity, reliability, delivery speed, maintainability, and lifecycle cost.

Requirements

Substantial experience with mission-critical or large-scale electrical infrastructure and sound engineering judgment.
Relevant experience may come from owner, operator, developer, consulting, utility, commissioning, construction, or comparable environments.
Ability to model and evaluate power systems, critically assess load and redundancy assumptions, identify failure modes and technical risks, and clearly explain their implications to technical and executive audiences.
Ability to collaborate effectively across disciplines while maintaining appropriate engineering rigor.
Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, Power Systems Engineering, a related technical field, or equivalent relevant experience.
Equivalent experience delivering large-scale data center, utility, industrial, or mission-critical electrical infrastructure will be considered.

Nice To Haves

Experience designing, reviewing, operating, or commissioning medium- and low-voltage electrical infrastructure for hyperscale, AI, HPC, utility, industrial, or other mission-critical facilities.
Strong knowledge of utility interfaces, substations, transformers, switchgear, busways, UPS systems, generators, batteries, relays, grounding, and rack-level power distribution.
Experience creating or reviewing electrical BODs, single-line diagrams, calculation packages, equipment specifications, and early-stage design packages.
Ability to evaluate redundancy, selectivity, power quality, transient performance, and maintenance scenarios using ETAP, SKM, or comparable tools.
Experience assessing high-density compute load profiles, diversity models, modular capacity blocks, and staged energization or sectional commissioning.
Familiarity with EPMS integration, behind-the-meter power, microgrids, battery storage, and emerging data center power architectures.
Experience with developer due diligence, design reviews, construction oversight, vendor submittals, change requests, factory testing, and integrated systems testing.
Strong communication and collaboration skills with the ability to translate electrical risks and technical tradeoffs into clear decisions related to capacity, reliability, schedule, cost, and operational readiness.
Master’s degree and/or Professional Engineer license are preferred where relevant to the responsibilities of the role.

Responsibilities

Own the electrical content of AMD’s AI data center BOD, including design criteria, reference single-line diagrams, modular power blocks, and concept through approximately 30% design guidance.
Translate GPU, server, network, storage, and rack requirements into capacity plans; define measurable peak-load and diversity assumptions with appropriate operating guardrails.
Validate the power path from utility service or behind-the-meter generation through interconnects, substations, transformers, medium-voltage feeders, low-voltage switchgear, and data hall distribution.
Assess generators, fuel and startup assumptions, energy storage, UPS and battery options, transfer systems, bypass arrangements, and alternative architectures appropriate to specific workloads.
Review busways and tap-offs, PDUs and RPPs, breakers, rack PDUs, whips, grounding, metering, and final rack connections; confirm power capacity and configuration at each handoff.
Review load-flow, short-circuit, protection-coordination, selectivity, grounding, arc-flash, harmonic, and power-quality studies, including the response to dynamic AI loads.
Evaluate voltage and frequency stability, load-step response, UPS ride-through, generator synchronization, transfer behavior, failure domains, maintainability, and expansion capability.
Define EPMS telemetry, alarms, metering, and reporting needed to verify capacity, manage diversity limits, and diagnose electrical events.
Compare developer and OEM proposals for technical fit, equipment availability, cost, constructability, schedule, and impact on GPU capacity; recommend appropriate design variations.
Validate procurement, factory acceptance tests, installation quality, energization plans, load-bank tests, Level 3–5 commissioning, integrated systems testing, and phased ready-for-service acceptance.
Identify missing design information, unsupported utility or energization assumptions, equipment lead-time risks, change impacts, and unresolved electrical punch-list items.
Partner with mechanical, controls, compute, and tenant fit-out teams so electrical capacity and commissioning boundaries align with cooling and GPU deployment phases.
Prepare concise risk assessments, design-option comparisons, technical hold points, and readiness recommendations for leadership.