Senior AI Software Architect

We are seeking a Senior AI Software Architect to join the AI Systems Architecture (ASA) group, where we define, validate, and optimize Microsoft's next-generation AI systems across hardware, software, and cloud-scale deployment boundaries. In this role, you will drive software bring-up, performance analysis, and optimization for multiple generations of AI accelerators, working across the full stack from low-level kernels and compiler/runtime integration to distributed training, inference serving, networking, and fleet-scale system behavior. You will develop strategies that improve the correctness, efficiency, reliability, and scalability of real-world AI workloads, including deep analysis of training and inference runs to validate numerical behavior, identify bottlenecks, and guide architectural tradeoffs. You will collaborate closely with architecture, microarchitecture, compiler, runtime, networking, and systems teams to translate workload insights into practical system designs that enable efficient large-scale AI deployment.

Responsibilities

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead end-to-end software architecture and performance optimization for AI accelerator platforms.

• Prototype and validate software capabilities across kernels, compiler and runtime layers, distributed training and inference frameworks, and serving infrastructure.

• Analyze workload behavior at scale to identify performance bottlenecks, numerical correctness issues, and system-level efficiency opportunities.

• Use workload insights to guide hardware-software co-design decisions across architecture, silicon, systems software, networking, and product teams.

• Define requirements, evaluate tradeoffs, and deliver practical solutions for production-scale AI systems.

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 4+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python OR equivalent experience.

Other Requirements

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., * PhD in Computer Science,Computer Architecture, Electrical Engineering, Machine Learning, High-Performance Computing, or a related field OR Master's Degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field AND 3+ years technical engineering experience OR Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field AND 5+ years technical engineering experience OR equivalent experience.

• Experience designing, building, or optimizing systems software for AI, machine learning, high-performance computing, or distributed systems.
• Experience analyzing large-scale AI training runs, including loss curves, convergence behavior, gradient flow, activation statistics, and numerical stability.
• Experience debugging training correctness issues such as gradient divergence, NaNs/Infs, optimizer behavior, mixed-precision instability, distributed synchronization bugs, or hardware/software numerical differences.

Software Engineering IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $119,800 - $234,700 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 $160,200 - $261,000 per year.

Microsoft is a global technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. We develop, license, and support a wide range of software products, services, and devices that help individuals and businesses realize their full potential.

Our flagship products include the Microsoft 365 productivity cloud, Windows operating system, Azure cloud platform, and Dynamics 365 business applications. We are also a leader in areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, developer tools, and gaming through Xbox and Game Pass.

With operations in more than 190 countries and over 220,000 employees worldwide, Microsoft is committed to responsible innovation, inclusive economic growth, and sustainability. We work closely with governments, industries, and communities to ensure that technology serves the public good and helps address some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

As we celebrate our 50th anniversary in 2025, we continue to look forward—investing in AI, cloud, and quantum computing to shape the future of work, education, and society at large scale.