Sr. Principle Systems / Rack Thermal Engineer

Astera Labs•Research Triangle Park, NC

4d•$195,000 - $250,000•Onsite

About The Position

Astera Labs (NASDAQ: ALAB) provides rack-scale AI infrastructure through purpose-built connectivity solutions. By collaborating with hyperscalers and ecosystem partners, Astera Labs enables organizations to unlock the full potential of modern AI. Astera Labs’ Intelligent Connectivity Platform integrates CXL®, Ethernet, NVLink, PCIe®, and UALink™ semiconductor-based technologies with the company’s COSMOS software suite to unify diverse components into cohesive, flexible systems that deliver end-to-end scale-up, and scale-out connectivity. The company’s custom connectivity solutions business complements its standards-based portfolio, enabling customers to deploy tailored architectures to meet their unique infrastructure requirements. Discover more at www.asteralabs.com. Senior Principal Thermal Engineer Location: Research Triangle Park (RTP), North Carolina Department: Hardware Engineering / System Architecture Employment Type: Full-Time We are seeking a Senior Principal Thermal Engineer to lead thermal architecture across next-generation AI systems, networking platforms, optical interconnects, and rack-scale infrastructure.

Requirements

BS, MS, or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Thermal Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Physics, or a related discipline.
15+ years of thermal engineering experience.
Proven track record leading thermal architecture for AI infrastructure, networking platforms, servers, storage, or hyperscale systems.
Deep expertise in Heat Transfer, Conduction and Convection, Airflow Optimization, Thermal Characterization, Cooling System Design, Rack-Level Thermal Architecture.
Hands-on experience using ANSYS Icepak, FloTHERM, 6SigmaET, CFD tools and methodologies.
Strong experience with thermal validation and correlation techniques.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel-based AI platforms.
Experience with Open Rack and OCP architectures.
Expertise in liquid cooling technologies.
Familiarity with PCIe Scale-Up and UALink systems.
Experience with Ethernet scale-out networking.
Experience supporting optical technologies including NPO, CPO, Optical Engines, Silicon Photonics, Fiber Connectivity Systems.
Experience supporting rack power densities exceeding 50kW and scaling toward future 100kW–250kW deployments.
Experience working directly with ODMs and hyperscale customers.

Responsibilities

Define End-to-End Thermal Architecture: Develop thermal architecture from silicon devices through complete rack-scale AI systems. Define thermal budgets, cooling requirements, and performance objectives. Drive architecture decisions balancing performance, reliability, power, density, and cost. Establish multi-generation thermal roadmaps supporting future AI infrastructure.
Lead AI Rack and Platform Cooling Design: Provide thermal leadership for GPU Compute Platforms, PCIe Scale-Up Switch Platforms, UALink Switch Systems, Ethernet Scale-Out Platforms, Rack Controllers, AI Accelerators, Optical Interconnect Systems. Develop system-level cooling strategies supporting next-generation high-density AI deployments.
Develop Advanced Air and Liquid Cooling Solutions: Architect airflow solutions for high-performance computing systems. Define direct liquid cooling and cold plate solutions. Support advanced rack cooling technologies. Develop thermal strategies for future 100kW+ AI racks. Optimize thermal performance while reducing infrastructure cooling cost.
Lead Optical Thermal Innovation: Develop thermal solutions for Near Package Optics (NPO), Co-Packaged Optics (CPO), Optical Engines, Silicon Photonics Platforms, Fiber Connectivity Infrastructure, Optical Transceivers and Modules. Address thermal interactions between optical engines, high-speed SerDes, Switch ASICs, GPU interconnects, and Rack cooling systems.
Drive Thermal Modeling and Validation: Lead CFD simulation activities. Perform system-level airflow analysis. Develop thermal design guidelines. Correlate thermal simulations with lab measurements. Establish validation procedures and thermal KPIs.
Collaborate with ODM Partners: Work directly with ODM and JDM partners to define thermal requirements, review rack and platform thermal designs, resolve thermal bottlenecks, support qualification and manufacturing readiness, and ensure compliance with Open Rack design objectives.
Partner Across Engineering Functions: Collaborate closely with System Architecture, Mechanical Engineering, Power Architecture, Electrical Engineering, Silicon Design, Reliability Engineering, and Manufacturing Operations to deliver industry-leading AI infrastructure solutions.