Datacenter Hardware Operations Technician, AI Compute Infrastructure - Stargate
Senior on-site hardware operations lead responsible for server, GPU, storage, and rack infrastructure reliability at OpenAI's AI campuses. Requires 8+ years of large-scale datacenter hardware experience and strong troubleshooting and cross-functional leadership skills.
Key Responsibilities
- Serve as OpenAI’s senior on-site hardware operations lead for server, GPU, storage, and rack-level infrastructure
- Drive technical triage and resolution of complex hardware failures impacting production systems
- Partner with Fleet Health Engineering to investigate recurring hardware issues, identify failure patterns, and improve fleet reliability
- Lead root cause analysis (RCA) efforts for critical hardware incidents and develop corrective and preventive action plans
- Collaborate with Oracle operations teams and OEM vendors to coordinate repairs, replacements, upgrades, and hardware lifecycle activities
- Establish and continuously improve hardware maintenance procedures, operational runbooks, and troubleshooting standards
- Analyze hardware failure trends and operational metrics to identify reliability risks and improvement opportunities
- Support new hardware introductions, validation activities, and production readiness reviews
- Coordinate spare parts strategy and inventory planning with supply chain and operations teams
- Partner with Hardware Engineering, Manufacturing, and Infrastructure teams to provide field feedback that improves future platform designs
- Develop scalable operational standards and best practices that can be deployed across future Stargate campuses
- Mentor technicians and partner teams on advanced troubleshooting methodologies and hardware operational excellence
Qualifications
- 8+ years of experience supporting large-scale datacenter hardware infrastructure, with experience in a senior technician, sustaining engineering, or hardware operations leadership role
- Deep expertise with server platforms, GPU systems, storage infrastructure, rack integration, and datacenter hardware architecture
- Strong experience diagnosing complex hardware failures and leading repair efforts in production environments
- Experience conducting root cause analysis and driving long-term corrective actions
- Strong understanding of hardware reliability engineering principles and fleet-health management
- Proven ability to partner effectively across engineering, operations, manufacturing, and vendor organizations
- Comfortable operating independently in high-priority production environments with significant operational responsibility
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to influence technical and operational decisions
- Experience developing operational processes, maintenance standards, and technical documentation
- Ability to travel occasionally to support new campus deployments and operational readiness activities
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience supporting large-scale GPU clusters or AI/ML infrastructure environments
- Familiarity with fleet health systems, telemetry platforms, and hardware monitoring tools
- Experience with failure analysis methodologies such as FRACAS, RCCA, 5-Why, Fishbone, or FMEA
- Knowledge of Linux system administration and hardware validation workflows
- Experience supporting hyperscale datacenter operations or HPC environments
- Familiarity with server manufacturing, rack integration, or NPI-to-sustaining transitions
- Industry certifications such as CompTIA Server+, OEM hardware certifications, or equivalent experience
- Experience applying Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) practices in mission-critical datacenter environments
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