Mechanical Engineer, Etched
$150-275k
+ Equity
More information about location
Office located in San Jose, CA
Designing specialised chips for language model inference
Be an early applicant
Designing specialised chips for language model inference
21-100 employees
Be an early applicant
$150-275k
+ Equity
More information about location
Office located in San Jose, CA
21-100 employees
Company mission
To create the world’s most powerful servers for transformer inference.
Role
Who you are
- A Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field is essential. Advanced degrees or certifications in mechanical design or manufacturing are a plus
- A minimum of 10 years of experience in mechanical engineering with a focus on high-power data center products, including a proven track record in designing and managing chassis and enclosures for data centers, is required
- Strong expertise in mechanical design and engineering principles is necessary, along with hands-on experience in transforming industrial design concepts into production-ready models
- Extensive experience in data center chassis design, with a deep understanding of high-power and cooling requirements, is important
- Proficiency in mechanical CAD software and tools such as SolidWorks, Creo, FX, CATIA, or similar is required
- A deep understanding of tooling processes, including both soft and hard tooling, and their impact on product design and production, is critical
- Familiarity with manufacturing requirements and standards, including shock and vibration testing, is expected to ensure that designs are durable and meet industry expectations
- Excellent problem-solving skills and a keen attention to detail are essential to ensure that every aspect of design work is meticulously considered
What the job involves
- We are seeking an experienced Mechanical Engineer to join our team and help transform complex designs into reliable, high-power data center products
- As a Mechanical Engineer at Etched, you will be integral to the development of high-performance data center products, from initial concept through to production
- You will collaborate closely with both internal and external design engineers, including JDM (Joint Design Manufacturer) partners
- Your expertise in mechanical design, particularly for data center chassis and high-power systems, will ensure our products meet rigorous performance, reliability, and manufacturability standards
- Develop and refine mechanical designs for high-power data center products, ensuring robust performance and reliability. Manage the transition from appearance models to production-ready designs
- Work closely with internal design teams and external partners, including Joint Design Manufacturers (JDMs), to ensure seamless integration of mechanical designs with overall product architecture
- Lead the design of data center chassis and enclosures from concept through production, focusing on meeting high power, cooling efficiency, and ruggedness requirements
- Oversee and manage the development of both soft and hard tooling to support mass production, ensuring that all tooling meets strict quality and consistency specifications
- Ensure that mechanical designs comply with manufacturing requirements, including shock and vibration standards, to guarantee durability and performance in demanding data center environments
- Translate industrial design concepts into manufacturable designs, effectively converting appearance models into production-ready mechanical solutions
- Apply DFM principles to optimize designs for cost-effective manufacturing, assembly, and maintenance, ensuring high efficiency and reduced production costs
Our take
With AI developing rapidly, the chips that power them are doing so too. The computing requirements of technologies such as Chat GPT will increasingly require customised, hard-wired chips called ASICS, designed specially for the execution of AI models. Whilst GPUs are currently used for AI computing, Etched is making a bet on AI-hardwired chips becoming the predominant powering force of AI.
It’s a gamble, the founders themselves know that if transformers become obsolete, so will their AI-powering product. The SOHU chip that Etched builds differs from GPUs in that it has the AI architecture etched into the chip itself. General Processing Units are “general” and costly, so Etched is betting on specialised transformers taking their place in the near future.
Investors are drawn to Etched’s boldness. The 2022-founded company achieved $120 million in Series A funding just two years into its life, and received a further $500 million at the start of 2026. Etched plans to use this to amp up its competition with GPU company Nvidia, and claims to be 20 times faster than the latter’s AI-powered general processor - and significantly less costly too. Time will tell if Etched’s exciting and potentially revolutionary bet on tailored AI chips and transformers pays off.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Company
Funding (last 2 of 3 rounds)
Jan 2026
$500m
LATE VC
Jun 2024
$120m
SERIES A
Total funding: $625.4m
Company benefits
- Competitive Salary and Equity - We offer a competitive salary and equity package that aligns with industry standards
- Benefits - Your wellbeing is important to us. We offer unlimited PTO, life insurance, and a 401(k)
- Full Insurance Coverage - Our insurance includes full medical, dental, and vision with 100% of premium covered
Company HQ
Horace Mann and SJSU, San Jose, CA
Leadership
Robert Wachen
(Co-Founder & President)Also the Co-Founder of Prod and Mentor Labs, Birthday Cakes 4 Free Maryland and Generate Sales Online.
Gavin Uberti
(Co-Founder & CEO)Previously Software Engineer at OctoML, Algorithms and BAckend Engineer at Coursedog and was a Software Engineer Intern at Xnor.ai.
Chris Zhu
(Co-Founder)Was a Teaching Fellow at Harvard and a Software Engineering Intern at Amazon and AvantStay. Was an Analyst at Harvard Undergraduate Capital Partners.
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