Principal Software Engineer

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The HPC/AI (High performance Computing and Artificial Intelligence) team is on a mission to build the next-generation distributed AI supercomputer, enabling breakthroughs in artificial intelligence by delivering unmatched computational power, scalability and reliability. We design and develop cutting-edge infrastructure that supports high-performance AI model training at scale, laying the foundation for innovations that redefine what AI can achieve.

We are seeking passionate and innovative software engineers to design and build cutting-edge RDMA-based communication libraries and networking infrastructure that powers large-scale AI training. This role focuses on developing next-generation networking capabilities to ensure high performance, low latency, and minimal jitter for distributed AI workloads. You will play a critical role in enabling state-of-the-art AI systems to achieve their full potential.

As a Principal Software Engineer on the HPC/AI team, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the next-generation networking infrastructure for AI training and inference in Azure Cloud. This is a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of two of the hottest fields in technology: AI and high-performance computing. With the explosive growth of generative AI and the increasing demand for large-scale, low-latency systems, this area is at the forefront of innovation and impact. You will work across diverse network architectures and cutting-edge processor and accelerator technologies, driving the design and delivery of a comprehensive, end-to-end solution with a relentless focus on performance, scalability, and observability. If you’re passionate about groundbreaking technology, large-scale systems, and AI infrastructure, join us to build the platform that will power the future of AI supercomputing!

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 6+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python
  • OR equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of experience in software design and development
• 2+ years of experience with HPC/AI software stack, and AI infrastructure

Other Qualifications:

• Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings:
  • Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud Background Check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science
  • OR related technical field AND 10+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, OR Python
  • OR Master's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 8+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python
  • OR equivalent experience.
• 3+ years experience on Distributed Systems
• 3+ years experience on High Performance Computing / Machine Learning middleware and Communication Runtime
• 3+ years experience on Hardware-Software co-design
• 3+ years experience on Profiling and Performance Analysis Tools

Software Engineering IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $139,900 - $274,800 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $188,000 - $304,200 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay
Microsoft will accept applications for the role until September 23, 2025.

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• Partner with appropriate stakeholders to determine user requirements for a set of scenarios.
• Lead identification of dependencies and the development of design documents for a product, application, service, or platform. Leads by example and mentors others to produce extensible and maintainable code used across products.
• Design, develop, and optimize networking solutions tailored for large-scale AI training infrastructure. Architect and implement high-performance, low-latency, and low-jitter communication frameworks for distributed systems.
• Benchmark, analyze, and enhance the scalability and reliability of networking systems to handle petabyte-scale data transfer.
• Debug and resolve complex networking issues in large-scale, high-performance environments.
• Drive identification of dependencies and the development of design documents for a product, application, service, or platform.
• Create, implement, optimize, debug, refactor, and reuse code to establish and improve performance and maintainability, effectiveness, and return on investment (ROI).
• Proactively seek new knowledge and adapts to new AI trends, technical solutions, and patterns that will improve the availability, reliability, efficiency, observability, and performance.