Applied ML Engineer - Inference

In 2012, Lambda started with a crew of AI engineers publishing research at top machine-learning conferences. We began as an AI company built by AI engineers. That hasn't changed. Today, we're on a mission to be the world's top AI computing platform. We equip engineers with the tools to deploy AI that is fast, secure, affordable, and built to scale. Whether they need powerhouse GPU hardware on-site or the flexibility of cloud-based solutions, we've got the horsepower to make it happen. Lambda’s AI Cloud has been adopted by the world’s leading companies and research institutions including Anyscale, Rakuten, The AI Institute, and multiple enterprises with over a trillion dollars of market capitalization. Our goal is to make computation as effortless and ubiquitous as electricity.

If you'd like to build the world's best deep learning cloud, join us. 

*Note: This position requires presence in our San Francisco office location 4 days per week; Lambda’s designated work from home day is currently Tuesday.

What You’ll Do

• Work on our Inference service, helping us to develop our large-scale platform for running new, cutting-edge models across tens of thousands of GPUs

• Work with both existing, open-source inference platforms and engines (such as vLLM, sglang, and Dynamo) and also developing new, Lambda-specific components

• Work with the software and system reliability engineers on our Inference team to take cutting-edge concepts from theory to ultra-reliable production environments

• Work with our Machine Learning team to bring across research concepts and help develop exciting new offerings and products.

• Adapt to new models and architectures and help keep Lambda at the forefront of this rapidly-changing part of the industry

• Help us build a high-throughput, low-latency, all-modes inference system running at globally-distributed scale

You

• 6+ years experience in software engineering, including at least some experience running public, production systems.

• 3+ years experience with machine learning, especially of running inference against models at scale (experience in other areas, such as training, is also valuable)

• Deep familiarity with current popular machine learning models and paradigms, including large language models, diffusion models, and mixture-of-experts architectures.

• Strong Python programming skills, and experience with either Go or Rust.

• A strong desire to rapidly take concepts from theory into production 

Nice to Have

• Have published papers in relevant machine learning fields

• Have presented talks or posters at machine learning conferences

• Hands-on experience with running live, streaming inference at scale

Salary Range Information 

Based on market data and other factors, the annual salary range for this position is $325,000-$490,000. However, a salary higher or lower than this range may be appropriate for a candidate whose qualifications differ meaningfully from those listed in the job description.

About Lambda

• Founded in 2012, ~350 employees (2024) and growing fast

• We offer generous cash & equity compensation

• Our investors include Andra Capital, SGW, Andrej Karpathy, ARK Invest, Fincadia Advisors, G Squared, In-Q-Tel (IQT), KHK & Partners, NVIDIA, Pegatron, Supermicro, Wistron, Wiwynn, US Innovative Technology, Gradient Ventures, Mercato Partners, SVB, 1517, Crescent Cove.

• We are experiencing extremely high demand for our systems, with quarter over quarter, year over year profitability

• Our research papers have been accepted into top machine learning and graphics conferences, including NeurIPS, ICCV, SIGGRAPH, and TOG

• Health, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents

• Commuter/Work from home stipends for select roles

• 401k Plan with 2% company match (USA employees)

• Flexible Paid Time Off Plan that we all actually use

A Final Note:

You do not need to match all of the listed expectations to apply for this position. We are committed to building a team with a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and skills.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Lambda is an Equal Opportunity employer. Applicants are considered without regard to race, color, religion, creed, national origin, age, sex, gender, marital status, sexual orientation and identity, genetic information, veteran status, citizenship, or any other factors prohibited by local, state, or federal law.