How to Apply to Cerebras

7 min read Last updated March 8, 2026 94 open positions
Blake Crosley
Blake Crosley Researched using publicly available information, hiring data, and ATS analysis.

Key Takeaways

  • Cerebras is building AI chips at a scale no other company has attempted — the Wafer-Scale Engine represents a fundamentally different approach to AI compute
  • Applications go through Greenhouse — format your resume for ATS parsing with clear sections and standard formatting
  • The interview process is technically rigorous and values first-principles thinking over pattern matching
  • With ~400 employees and 94+ open positions, Cerebras is growing rapidly and every hire has significant impact
  • Equity compensation is particularly relevant given Cerebras's IPO filing — evaluate the full package
  • Cross-functional collaboration is essential — prepare examples of working across hardware, software, and ML boundaries

About Cerebras

Cerebras Systems is redefining AI computing with the world's largest chip, the Wafer-Scale Engine (WSE). Founded by Andrew Feldman and headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, Cerebras has raised over $700 million in funding and filed for an IPO, positioning itself as a serious contender against NVIDIA in the AI accelerator space. With approximately 400 employees and 94+ open positions, the company is in a rapid growth phase, offering exceptional opportunities for engineers, operations specialists, and business professionals who want to shape the future of AI hardware. Cerebras takes a fundamentally different approach to chip design. Rather than networking together thousands of small GPUs, the company builds a single, massive chip that occupies an entire silicon wafer. The CS-3 chip and Cerebras Inference — the fastest AI inference platform available — represent breakthrough products that have attracted customers ranging from national laboratories to major pharmaceutical companies. The engineering challenges at Cerebras are unlike anything found at conventional semiconductor companies, making it a magnet for talent that thrives on solving problems considered impossible by industry consensus. The company culture emphasizes deep technical excellence, intellectual honesty, and a willingness to challenge established approaches. Cerebras operates with the intensity of a startup but with the funding and market validation of a mature company. If you are considering applying, understand that Cerebras values people who combine exceptional technical depth with the adaptability to work across disciplinary boundaries — chip design, systems software, machine learning, data center operations, and customer solutions all intersect here.

Application Process

  1. 1
    Identify Your Target Role on Cerebras Careers

    Visit cerebras.ai/careers to browse the approximately 94+ open positions. Cerebras organizes roles across engineering (hardware, software, ML), operations (manufacturing, data center), business (sales, marketing, compliance), and support functions. Each listing provides detailed requirements, so read the full description carefully before applying. Because Cerebras is a specialized AI hardware company, many roles require niche expertise — make sure your background genuinely aligns with the position.

  2. 2
    Submit Your Application Through Greenhouse

    Cerebras uses Greenhouse as its applicant tracking system (board token: cerebrassystems). Your application will be parsed by Greenhouse's built-in resume parser, so formatting matters. Upload a clean, ATS-compatible resume in PDF or DOCX format. Complete all required fields in the application form, including any custom questions Cerebras has configured. A tailored cover letter is not always required but can differentiate you for senior or cross-functional roles.

  3. 3
    Initial Recruiter Screen

    If your application passes the initial review, a Cerebras recruiter will schedule a 30-45 minute phone or video screen. This conversation covers your background, motivation for joining Cerebras specifically, and high-level technical fit. Recruiters will often ask why you are interested in AI hardware versus software-only approaches, so come prepared with a genuine perspective on Cerebras's wafer-scale technology and where it fits in the AI landscape.

  4. 4
    Technical Assessment or Hiring Manager Interview

    Depending on the role, the next step is either a technical assessment (for engineering roles) or a hiring manager deep-dive (for business and operations roles). Engineering assessments at Cerebras are rigorous — expect problems related to chip architecture, systems programming, performance optimization, or ML training at scale. For non-engineering roles, the hiring manager interview focuses on domain expertise, relevant achievements, and how your experience maps to Cerebras's specific challenges.

  5. 5
    On-Site or Virtual Interview Loop

    The full interview loop typically involves 4-6 sessions over a half or full day. You will meet with engineers, managers, and cross-functional partners. For technical roles, expect a mix of system design, coding (C/C++, Python, or CUDA depending on the position), and domain-specific deep dives. For all roles, at least one session focuses on behavioral and cultural fit, exploring how you handle ambiguity, collaborate under pressure, and approach problems that lack established playbooks.

  6. 6
    Reference Checks and Offer

    After a successful interview loop, Cerebras conducts reference checks — typically 2-3 professional references. Once references clear, you will receive an offer that includes base salary, equity (particularly valuable given the IPO filing), and benefits. Cerebras equity packages can be substantial for early-to-mid-stage employees, so evaluate the full compensation picture. The offer process moves quickly once the team has aligned on a candidate.

Resume Tips for Cerebras

critical

Lead with Hardware-AI Intersection Experience

Cerebras operates at the intersection of chip design and AI workloads. If you have experience in ASIC design, FPGA development, high-performance computing, or ML training infrastructure, lead with it. Quantify your contributions: 'Designed memory controller achieving 2.4 TB/s bandwidth' or 'Reduced ML training time by 40% through custom kernel optimization.' Cerebras reviewers are looking for evidence that you understand both the hardware and software sides of AI compute.

critical

Quantify Scale and Performance Metrics

Cerebras builds at extreme scale — their WSE-3 chip has 4 trillion transistors. Your resume should reflect comfort with scale. Instead of 'Worked on distributed systems,' write 'Architected distributed training framework supporting 128-node clusters with 95% scaling efficiency.' Numbers that demonstrate you have operated at the edge of what is technically possible will resonate strongly with Cerebras hiring managers.

critical

Highlight First-Principles Problem Solving

Cerebras's entire existence is based on challenging the assumption that AI compute must be done on GPUs. Demonstrate first-principles thinking on your resume by describing situations where you questioned established approaches and arrived at unconventional solutions. For example: 'Identified that existing memory hierarchy assumptions were bottlenecking inference throughput; redesigned data flow to achieve 3x improvement.'

recommended

Keep Formatting Greenhouse-Compliant

Greenhouse parses resumes effectively but works best with standard formatting. Use clear section headers (Experience, Education, Skills), consistent date formats (Month Year), and avoid tables, columns, or graphics that can confuse the parser. A single-column layout in 11pt standard font ensures your content is accurately extracted and searchable by the recruiting team.

recommended

Include Relevant Technical Stack Keywords

Cerebras job descriptions reference specific technologies: C/C++, Python, CUDA, SystemVerilog, RTL design, PyTorch, TensorFlow, Kubernetes, and Linux kernel development. Mirror these keywords naturally in your experience descriptions. Do not keyword-stuff, but ensure that the technologies you have genuinely used appear in the context of real accomplishments.

recommended

Show Cross-Functional Collaboration

At a 400-person company building full-stack AI hardware, silos do not work. Cerebras values engineers who collaborate across chip design, compiler teams, systems software, and customer solutions. Include examples like 'Collaborated with compiler team to co-optimize instruction scheduling, reducing end-to-end latency by 25%' to demonstrate you work effectively across team boundaries.

nice_to_have

Emphasize Startup Intensity with Technical Depth

Cerebras wants people who combine startup agility with deep technical expertise. If you have worked at both large semiconductor companies (Intel, AMD, NVIDIA) and startups, highlight the range. Show that you can operate in ambiguous environments while maintaining the rigor required for silicon that must work correctly the first time — there are no hotfixes for fabricated chips.

ATS System: Greenhouse

Cerebras uses Greenhouse to manage its hiring pipeline. Greenhouse is one of the most widely adopted ATS platforms among high-growth technology companies, known for structured hiring processes and strong resume parsing capabilities. Your application will be processed through Greenhouse's parsing engine, which extracts text, dates, job titles, and skills from your uploaded resume.

  • Upload your resume as a PDF to preserve formatting while maintaining parseability
  • Use standard section headers that Greenhouse recognizes: Experience, Education, Skills, Summary
  • Include the exact job title from the listing somewhere in your resume or application
  • Avoid headers, footers, and multi-column layouts that can confuse the parser
  • Complete all custom application questions — incomplete applications may be automatically filtered

Complete Greenhouse Resume Guide →

Interview Culture

Cerebras interviews reflect the company's engineering-first culture.

The process is rigorous, technically deep, and designed to evaluate whether candidates can thrive in an environment where conventional wisdom is regularly challenged. For engineering roles, expect questions that go beyond standard algorithms and data structures — Cerebras interviewers want to understand how you think about computer architecture, memory systems, and performance at the hardware-software boundary. The company values intellectual honesty over polished presentation. If you do not know something, say so — and then walk through how you would approach figuring it out. Cerebras interviewers are more impressed by a candidate who clearly articulates the boundaries of their knowledge and demonstrates strong reasoning than by someone who bluffs through an answer. Behavioral interviews at Cerebras explore how you handle ambiguity, tight timelines, and cross-functional dependencies. The company is building technology that has never existed before, which means roadmaps change, priorities shift, and individuals need to adapt without losing momentum. Come prepared with examples of times you navigated uncertainty, made difficult technical trade-offs, and delivered results in environments where the path forward was not clearly defined. Cerebras also places significant weight on cultural contribution. The team is small relative to the complexity of what they are building, so every hire has an outsized impact. Interviewers evaluate whether you will elevate the people around you through mentorship, knowledge sharing, and constructive debate. Demonstrating that you are both technically excellent and a generous collaborator will distinguish you from equally qualified candidates.

What Cerebras Looks For

  • Deep expertise in AI hardware, chip design, or high-performance computing systems
  • First-principles thinking — the ability to question assumptions and derive solutions from fundamentals
  • Track record of working at extreme technical scale (trillion-transistor chips, petaflop systems)
  • Comfort with ambiguity and the ability to make progress without detailed playbooks
  • Cross-functional collaboration skills — chip design, software, ML, and operations intersect constantly
  • Intellectual honesty and willingness to change direction when evidence demands it
  • Startup intensity combined with the technical rigor required for silicon development
  • Genuine passion for AI compute and a perspective on why hardware innovation matters

Frequently Asked Questions

What ATS does Cerebras use for job applications?
Cerebras uses Greenhouse as its applicant tracking system. When you apply through cerebras.ai/careers, your application is processed through Greenhouse's platform (board token: cerebrassystems). This means your resume will be parsed by Greenhouse's extraction engine, so using standard formatting with clear section headers, consistent date formats, and a single-column layout will help ensure your information is accurately captured. Upload your resume as a PDF for the best balance of formatting preservation and parseability.
What types of roles does Cerebras typically hire for?
Cerebras hires across hardware engineering (chip design, verification, physical design), software engineering (compilers, runtime systems, kernel development), machine learning (training optimization, model performance), data center operations (manufacturing test, infrastructure), and business functions (compliance, program management, sales, marketing). Sample roles include Manufacturing Test Engineer, Director of Compliance, Data Center Program Manager, and Principal Engineer AI Inference. With approximately 94+ open positions, the company is actively expanding across most functions.
How long does the Cerebras hiring process take?
The Cerebras hiring process typically takes 3-6 weeks from initial application to offer. After submitting your application through Greenhouse, you can expect a recruiter screen within 1-2 weeks if selected, followed by a technical assessment or hiring manager interview, and then a full interview loop. The timeline can be faster for urgent roles or candidates with highly specialized expertise. Reference checks and offer negotiation typically add another 1-2 weeks.
Does Cerebras offer remote work options?
Cerebras is primarily based in Sunnyvale, California, and many roles — particularly hardware engineering and manufacturing — require on-site presence due to the nature of the work. Some software and business roles may offer hybrid or remote flexibility, but this varies by team and position. Check the specific job listing for location requirements, and discuss flexibility with the recruiter during your initial screen.
What makes Cerebras different from other AI chip companies?
Cerebras's defining innovation is the Wafer-Scale Engine — a single chip that occupies an entire silicon wafer, making it the largest chip ever built. While competitors like NVIDIA network together thousands of smaller GPUs, Cerebras builds one massive processor that eliminates the communication overhead between chips. The CS-3 and Cerebras Inference platform deliver breakthrough performance for AI training and inference. This fundamentally different architecture means engineers at Cerebras solve problems that do not exist anywhere else in the industry.
What technical skills should I highlight when applying to Cerebras?
The most valued technical skills depend on the role, but commonly sought expertise includes C/C++ and Python programming, CUDA and GPU programming, SystemVerilog and RTL design (for hardware roles), PyTorch and TensorFlow (for ML roles), Linux kernel development, high-performance computing, distributed systems, and computer architecture. For all technical roles, demonstrate experience with performance optimization and working at scale. Mirror the specific technologies mentioned in the job description you are targeting.
Does Cerebras provide visa sponsorship?
Cerebras does sponsor work visas for qualified candidates, particularly for specialized engineering roles where talent is scarce. If you require sponsorship, note this in your application. The company has hired internationally, reflecting the global talent pool for semiconductor and AI expertise. Specific sponsorship details should be confirmed with the recruiter during the initial screen.
What is the compensation structure at Cerebras?
Cerebras offers competitive compensation packages that include base salary, performance bonuses, and equity grants. Given the company's IPO filing, equity is a particularly significant component — early and mid-stage employees may benefit substantially from a public listing. Benefits typically include comprehensive health insurance, 401(k), and other standard technology company perks. Compensation details vary by role level and location, and should be discussed during the offer stage.
How should I prepare for a Cerebras technical interview?
Preparation should go beyond standard algorithm practice. For hardware roles, review computer architecture fundamentals, memory hierarchy design, and chip-level performance analysis. For software roles, prepare for systems programming questions, compiler design concepts, and performance optimization scenarios. For ML roles, be ready to discuss training at scale, model parallelism, and hardware-aware optimization. Across all roles, be prepared to discuss first-principles approaches to problems and demonstrate that you can think about the hardware-software boundary.

Open Positions

Cerebras currently has 94 open positions.

View 94 Open Positions at Cerebras →

Related Resources

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Sources

  1. Cerebras Systems — Careers — Cerebras Systems
  2. Cerebras Systems — Wafer-Scale Engine Technology — Cerebras Systems
  3. Cerebras Inference — Fastest AI Inference — Cerebras Systems