Rack Design Engineer, Data Center - Memphis
xAI is hiring a Rack Design Engineer, Data Center - Memphis. Level rates it ; you can apply on xAI.
Level's read on this job
- On Level's scale, this role is Works on AI ●●●○: the daily work is on AI products, without building the model.
- Tools and skills the posting cites include CAD, Sheet Metal and Liquid Cooling.
- Level classifies it as a mid-level role.
- Level lists 307 other open roles at xAI.
AI in this role
Design high-density AI compute racks, integrating power, cooling, and structure for hyperscale data centers.
SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today, SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of making life multiplanetary and expanding consciousness to the stars.
SpaceXSI is building Super Intelligence to help humanity understand the universe. Our teams are building the full Super Intelligence stack: from our Colossus supercomputers, to Grok models, to our suite of applications, including Grok Bot, Grok Build, Grok Imagine, Grok Voice, and X. We're creating a powerful flywheel where more compute trains better models, better models power more useful products, and what we learn from people using those products shapes what we build next.
RACK DESIGN ENGINEER, DATA CENTER
The Data Center Engineering team designs training and inference compute clusters from first principles, pushing thermal, electrical, and optical systems to the limit of physics. We operate as a highly cross disciplinary team comprised of mechanical, electrical, optical, and software engineers, all working to maximize the efficiency, reliability, and deployment speed of terrestrial computing to serve rapidly scaling demand.
This team owns compute architecture, datacenter network design, rack builds, connectivity, in-house design of our own computers, and the manufacturing line that builds that compute. As a Rack Design Engineer, you will own the rack as a product: structure, power, cooling, service paths, and the physical integration of servers, switches, optics, and liquid cooling from first sketch through production rate.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Own mechanical, structural, and integration design of high-density AI compute racks and associated chassis, frames, busbars, manifolds, and cable/fiber raceways
- Integrate compute, networking, power distribution, and liquid cooling into a buildable, serviceable, high-yield rack architecture
- Design for the in-house manufacturing line: DFM/DFA, fixtures, work instructions, incoming inspection, first article, and production ramp
- Close thermal, structural, and power constraints with cooling, electrical, optical, and network counterparts at the cluster level (CDUs, cold plates, quick disconnects, PDUs/busbars, high-current distribution, tray and bend-radius limits)
- Drive vendor and in-house parts from concept to qualified production, including sheet metal, extrusions, busbar, manifolds, cable management, and rack accessories
- Stand on the floor during prototype and production builds: debug fit, leak, cable dress, airflow/liquid balance, and service time; fold issues into the next revision the same day
- Produce and maintain CAD, BOMs, drawings, and build documentation that a line can run at volume
- Support cluster deployment of the racks you design, including first-site bring-up and feedback into the next hardware generation
- Partner with network, optical, electrical, and firmware teams to deploy custom compute for inference and training across SpaceX programs
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or an engineering discipline
- 2+ years of professional experience designing electromechanical hardware that was built and shipped (internship and project experience counts toward this if the hardware was physically produced)
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Ownership of rack, chassis, or similarly dense electromechanical products through prototype and production
- Experience or background in ethernet switching, networking, interconnects, and high power distribution
- CAD fluency in SolidWorks, Creo, or NX, with released drawings a shop and a factory can build from
- AI / HPC / GPU rack design: NVIDIA HGX/GB-class, custom OCP, or equivalent high-power liquid-cooled compute
- Liquid cooling design: cold plates, manifolds, CDUs, quick disconnects, leak detection, and coolant compatibility
- High-power rack electrical integration: busbar, PDU, 48V, high-current 3-phase, grounding, and service safety
- Cable and fiber physical design inside the rack (MPO/OSFP dress, bend radius, service loops) in partnership with optical and network engineers
- Experience taking a rack from NPI onto an in-house manufacturing line (fixtures, cycle time, poka-yoke, rework loops)
- Thermal and structural analysis (CFD, FEA) used to make a design decision
- Time at a high-velocity hardware organization: AI/GPU cloud, custom compute, or an OEM/ODM team that owned the product end to end
- Comfort in a factory or datacenter build environment, including first articles, yield, and hardware debug on the floor
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed to support design releases, line bring-up, and cluster deployments
- Must be willing to travel to manufacturing and datacenter sites
- Ability to lift up to 25 lbs. unassisted and work around active factory and datacenter hardware
SpaceXSI is an equal opportunity employer. For details on data processing, view our Recruitment Privacy Notice.
How we rate this
Rack Design Engineer, Data Center - Memphis at xAI rates 60 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Works on AI (AI Level 3 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.
Works on AI. The daily work is on AI products, without building the model.
- ●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
- ●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
- ●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
- ●○○○ Little AI0 to 39
Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.
Prepare for this job
Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.
Skills and AI tools this role asks for
Questions you could be asked
- Tell me about a project where mechanical engineering was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where thermal design was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where dfm was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where hardware integration was part of your work. What did you do?
- Walk me through how you've used CAD in your day-to-day work.
Adapt your resume
- List these exact terms on your resume: Mechanical Engineering, Thermal Design, Dfm, Hardware Integration, and CAD. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
- Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.
- Show where AI is part of your daily process, not a one-off project. This role expects it to be a running habit.
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