Principal Software Development Engineer

About the role

ADVANCE YOUR CAREER. ADVANCE THE WORLD. At AMD, we believe technology has the power to solve the world’s most important challenges. From advancing healthcare and scientific discovery to powering AI and the technologies people rely on every day, innovation at AMD is shaping the future. Whether you’re designing next-gen processors, enabling AI breakthroughs, or bringing leading edge products to market, every role at AMD contributes to something bigger — technology that moves the world forward. Join us and, together, we’ll advance your career.

THE ROLE: AMD is looking for a strategic software engineering lead who is passionate about improving the performance of key applications and benchmarks. You will be a member of a core team of incredibly talented industry specialists and will work with the very latest hardware and software technology. THE PERSON: The ideal candidate should be passionate about software engineering and possess leadership skills to drive sophisticated issues to resolution. Able to communicate effectively and work optimally with different teams across AMD. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES: Work closely with strategic customers to understand their requirements challenges and identify opportunities for AMD hardware and software to provide value Close gaps in the AMD software stack needed to support customer solutions Optimizing collective communication primitives on GPU accelerators (NCCL/RCCL) Work hands-on as a technical expert and creative problem-solver, developing side-by-side with customers to drive projects from proof of concept to production Act as the voice of the customer, translating their needs and your on-the-ground insights into actionable feedback that shapes the future of AMD's AI roadmap Use Agentic AI to enhance productivity, automate workflows, and improve operational efficiency Thrive in unfamiliar territory with a high degree of autonomy, finding novel ways to apply AMD technology to real-world problems Apply a data minded approach to target optimization efforts Debugging/fix existing issues and research alternative, more efficient ways to accomplish the same work Stay informed of software and hardware trends and innovations, especially pertaining to algorithms and architecture PREFERRED EXPERIENCE: Strong programming skills in C/C++ and Python Ability to write high quality code with a keen attention to detail Experience with GPU kernel programming using CUDA or HIP Expertise with modern LLM serving frameworks (e.g., vLLM, SGLang) Experience in implementing and optimizing attention and KV-cache primitives on GPU accelerators Strong performance analysis and optimization skills for both CPU and GPU A track record of direct Client Engagement with experience working with customers to solve ambiguous technical problems Experience with open-source software development including collaboration with community maintainers and submitting contributions Experience providing clear and timely communication related to status and other key aspects of the project to the executive leadership team Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills Ability to work independently and as part of a team Motivating leader with good interpersonal skill ACADEMIC CREDENTIALS: Bachelor’s, Master's, or Ph.D. degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent LOCATION: Santa Clara, California This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship.