Hardware Tools Engineer

About this role

OpenAI seeks a Hardware Tools Engineer to build and maintain the software tooling ecosystem that enables the hardware team to design next-generation AI-native silicon. You'll develop compilers, IR transformations, simulation, debugging, and automation infrastructure while collaborating with architects and RTL designers to solve real engineering challenges.

What you'll do

• Build and improve hardware compilation, IR transforms, RTL generation, simulation, and automation tooling
• Extend compiler stacks including frontends, IR passes, lowering, scheduling, and Verilog/SystemVerilog codegen
• Enhance developer experience through reproducible builds, better error messages, and faster iteration loops
• Read and debug Verilog/SystemVerilog to validate tool output and improve debuggability
• Work with designers and verification engineers to translate engineering friction into scalable solutions
• Enable PPA optimization by building analysis tools around area, timing, and power tradeoffs

What they're looking for

• Software development in Rust, C++, or Python
• Strong CS fundamentals (data structures, algorithms, debugging, design)
• Digital design concepts and ability to read RTL/Verilog/SystemVerilog
• Compiler and IR concepts (representations, passes, transformations, lowering)
• CI/build infrastructure experience
• Hardware toolchain familiarity (Yosys, Verilator, LLVM, MLIR, or similar)
• Synthesis, place and route, or static timing analysis experience
• Comfort with ambiguity and iterative user feedback