Ready to revolutionize AI datacenter thermal control solutions and deployments? Phononic is the place for you. We are seeking a results-oriented individual to join our Infrastructure Solutions organization to deliver industry leading innovative products in support of revolutionizing cooling solutions for AI datacenters.

We are seeking a highly experienced Platform Architect to lead the design and optimization of next-generation AI infrastructure platforms, with a core focus on thermal management and cooling technologies for optical interconnects, co-packaged optics (CPO), and GPU-based servers.

In this role, you will drive system-level innovation to address one of the most critical challenges in modern AI systems: managing heat and power density while delivering extreme bandwidth and compute performance. You will work at the intersection of thermodynamics, photonics, silicon, and server architecture, enabling scalable, efficient, and reliable AI deployments.

Thermal Architecture & System Design

• Define end-to-end thermal architecture strategies for GPU servers, optical interconnects, and CPO-based systems
• Develop system-level approaches to balance performance, heat dissipation, reliability, and energy efficiency
• Design and optimize solutions for: 

1. High-power GPUs and accelerators
2. Dense optical I/O (pluggable and co-packaged optics)
3. Rack- and cluster-level thermal constraints 

Cooling Technology Innovation 

• Optimize cooling strategies for high-density AI workloads and optical bandwidth scaling
• Analyze and improve thermal resistance, junction temperatures, and cooling efficiency
• Lead design and evaluation of advanced cooling approaches, including:

1. Air cooling (high-performance heatsinks, airflow optimization)
2. Liquid cooling (direct-to-chip, cold plates)
3. Immersion cooling and emerging techniques

Optical & CPO Thermal Integration

• Architect thermal solutions for:

1. High-speed optical transceivers (400G/800G/1.6T+)
2. Co-packaged optics (CPO) integrated with switch or GPU ASICs

• Address key challenges such as:

1. Heat dissipation in tightly integrated photonics + silicon environments
2. Thermal impact on optical performance and signal integrity
3. Reliability and lifetime of photonic components under thermal stress

• Collaborate with silicon photonics teams to co-design thermal-aware optical packaging architectures

GPU Server & Rack-Level Thermal Design

• Design GPU server platforms optimized for thermal efficiency, including:

1. Multi-GPU configurations and interconnect density
2. Power delivery and cooling integration
3. Airflow and liquid loop design

• Drive innovations in rack-level and data center-level cooling, including:

1. High-density rack (>50–100kW) thermal strategies
2. Integration with facility cooling systems
3. Optimization for power usage effectiveness (PUE)

Interconnect & System Optimization

• Optimize system performance under thermal constraints, including thermal throttling behavior and workload efficiency
• Ensure thermal considerations are integrated into interconnect design decisions, including:

1. Optical vs. electrical tradeoffs
2. Placement of optics (pluggable vs. co-packaged)

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Drive alignment between thermal design, system architecture, and product roadmap
• Influence vendor selection across cooling systems, optics, and server platforms
• Partner with teams across:

1. Silicon and ASIC design
2. Photonics engineering
3. Mechanical and thermal engineering
4. Data center infrastructure

Technology Strategy & Innovation

• Contribute to long-term innovation in sustainable and energy-efficient AI infrastructure 
• Stay ahead of trends in:

1. Thermal management for AI infrastructure
2. Co-packaged optics and optical I/O scaling
3. High-density GPU clusters and exascale AI systems

Required

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or related field
• 8–12+ years of experience in system architecture, thermal engineering, or hardware platform design
• Deep expertise in:

1. Thermal management and cooling technologies for high-performance systems
2. GPU servers, AI/HPC infrastructure, or data center platforms
3. Optical interconnects and high-speed systems (1.6T+)

• Strong understanding of:

1. Heat transfer (conduction, convection, liquid cooling systems)
2. Power density and thermal constraints in modern compute systems
3. Tradeoffs across performance, cooling, cost, and reliability

Preferred

• Experience working with hyperscalers or large-scale AI deployments
• Experience with co-packaged optics (CPO) and silicon photonics thermal challenges
• Hands-on design experience with:

1. Liquid cooling systems and cold plate design
2. High-density rack and cluster cooling

• Knowledge of:

1. Optical module thermal constraints and reliability
2. Data center infrastructure (HVAC, liquid loops, facility integration)

Key Skills

• Deep expertise in thermal systems and heat management
• System-level thinking across compute, optics, and cooling
• Ability to integrate thermal constraints into architecture decisions
• Cross-disciplinary collaboration (mechanical, electrical, photonics)
• Strong problem-solving in high-density, high-power environments