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Fluidstack is building civilization-scale compute infrastructure for AI, targeting 10+ GW of deployment. The company is rethinking every layer of the stack—from power acquisition through data center design and operation—with a focus on speed and scale as key differentiators.
The Thermofluids R&D team is tackling three core challenges: (1) designing and deploying cooling systems capable of rejecting 10+ gigawatts of heat starting immediately (targeting 10 GW in 2027, 30 GW in 2028); (2) developing proprietary compressor and chiller designs in-house because the merchant market cannot scale to these volumes; and (3) owning the full thermofluids stack—working fluid selection, cycle architecture, heat exchangers, two-phase heat transfer, and thermal energy storage.
In this role, you will own the aerodynamic design of centrifugal compressors from mean-line and 1D analysis through CFD to released geometry (impeller, diffuser, return channel). You will set machine architecture decisions including stage count, shaft speed, and diameter while the working fluid choice is still open. You will design the expansion turbine that recovers shaft work from high-side pressure drops, sharing a shaft with the compressor and motor. You will carry the rotor through rotordynamics analysis, magnetic bearing integration, and stress analysis with structural and mechanical engineers. Finally, you will take machines to the test stand, measure performance maps, and close the loop back into aerodynamic design iteration.
The team operates with full autonomy, insane urgency, first-principles reasoning, and a focus on building things that matter. You will be expected to own scope end-to-end, challenge assumptions, and operate at high intensity.
REQUIREMENTS:
- You have designed a radial or axial turbomachine that was built and operated, and you were present during its testing.
- You have taken a compressor or turbine stage from mean-line through CFD analysis and back, and you understand the conditions under which CFD predictions diverge from reality.
- You have worked a rotordynamics problem through to resolution on a real shaft with real bearings (not just in simulation or reports).
- You have made an architecture decision early with incomplete data (stage count, speed, bearing type) and lived with it through build and test.
- You read test maps and iterate design based on results, rather than explaining why test data is wrong.
- You have worked in an environment with rapid iteration cycles (next article in the shop before the last comes off test) and preferred that pace.
BONUS EXPERIENCE:
- Turbopumps, gas turbines, or cryogenic turbomachinery (launch vehicles, APUs, aero engines).
- High-speed motor-driven compressors with magnetic bearings, hermetic designs, or oil-free machines.
- Transcritical and supercritical working fluids (R744, sCO2 cycles).
- Real-gas property libraries (CoolProp, REFPROP).
- Vapor-compression machine design (chillers, heat pumps, industrial refrigeration).
