About the role#
This internship focuses on the performance engineering of large-scale AI systems. You will work alongside researchers and engineers to optimize the execution of foundation models on next-generation NVIDIA GPU architectures. The role involves low-level GPU performance analysis, kernel optimization, and hardware-aware inference acceleration.
What you'll do#
- Develop analytical performance models for GPU kernels and inference workloads.
- Build and validate a simulator to estimate theoretical hardware performance limits.
- Identify performance bottlenecks in compute, memory, communication, and scheduling.
- Analyze GPU execution using NVIDIA Nsight Systems and Nsight Compute.
- Investigate PTX and SASS code generation to understand low-level execution behavior.
- Collaborate with researchers and engineers to optimize inference kernels for transformer-based models.
- Evaluate utilization of Tensor Cores, memory bandwidth, caches, and instruction pipelines.
- Design profiling methodologies for Hopper and Blackwell architectures.
- Document findings and provide actionable recommendations for performance improvements.
What you'll need#
- Currently pursuing a degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, High-Performance Computing, or a related quantitative discipline.
- Experience with CUDA programming and GPU kernel development.
- Understanding of NVIDIA GPU architecture and memory hierarchy.
- Familiarity with performance profiling tools such as Nsight Systems and Nsight Compute.
- Experience with deep learning frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow.
- Knowledge of PTX, SASS, and low-level GPU execution.
- Experience optimizing CUDA kernels for throughput and latency.
- Understanding of roofline analysis, performance modeling, and hardware utilization metrics.
- Strong programming skills in C++, CUDA, and Python.
Location & details#
- Location: Sunnyvale, California, United States.
- Term: Fall 2026.
- Modality: On-site.
- Commitment: Full-time internship.
About MBZUAI (Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence)
Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence is a graduate-level research institution located in Abu Dhabi. Founded in 2019, the university focuses on the study and development of artificial intelligence. It operates as an educational organization with a staff of over 1,000 people. The institution maintains its primary campus in Masdar City.
How to get in at MBZUAI (Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence)
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