Senior Thermal Engineer
Lenovo
Why Work at Lenovo
Description and Requirements
The position is for a Senior Thermal Engineer in the Lenovo Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG), based in Morrisville, North Carolina. This is an exciting role in the Cloud Service Provider Group (CSP) that has a strong focus to be the #1 infrastructure provider for cloud datacenters that providing computing, storage, and GPU services to cloud customers.
We are seeking a Thermal System Engineer with server thermal design and validation experiences. The thermal engineer will be an integral member of a team responsible for developing, testing innovative and complex computing, storage and GPU servers with both air and liquid cooling. At Lenovo, we pride ourselves on delivering end-to-end solutions tailored to meet even the most unique customer demands. Our CSP solutions are conceptualized, developed, and deployed worldwide, all within our in-house expertise.
What You'll Do
- Develop racks/server infrastructure in cloud data center, include compute server, storage server, GPU server.
- Qualify racks/server compliance with customer data center requirement through thermal, power and airflow test under heavy load.
- Design and develop thermal management solutions for server systems, including air cooling, liquid cooling, heat sinks, heat pipes, and other cooling technologies.
- Perform thermal simulations using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tools (e.g., ANSYS, Icepak, FloTHERM) to predict heat distribution, airflow, and temperature gradients in server enclosures.
- Optimize fan and blower performance for airflow, noise, and efficiency. Develop cooling strategies for high-density components such as CPUs, GPUs, memory, and power supplies.
- Work closely with mechanical, electrical, and systems engineers to ensure thermal systems meet overall product requirements and are aligned with design constraints.
- Build and test prototypes, refine designs based on test results, and troubleshoot issues related to mechanical performance, thermals, and noise.
Basic Qualifications
- Master’s degree or higher in mechanical engineering, thermal engineering, materials engineering or a related field with a focus on heat transfer and thermodynamics.
- 10+ years of experience in thermal design, preferably within the server, data center, or electronics industry.
- Experience with CFD tools such as ANSYS, Icepak, FloTHERM, or similar for conducting thermal simulations and optimizing airflow and heat dissipation.
- Experience with cooling technologies such as heat sinks, vapor chambers, fans, and liquid cooling solutions.
- Experience in thermal testing and validation, including the use of thermal chambers, infrared thermography, and data acquisition tools for real-world performance evaluation.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience working on thermal designs for servers, storage systems, or data center hardware.
- Experience with liquid cooling systems, vapor chambers, or immersion cooling in high-performance computing environments.
- Understanding of the thermal challenges associated with AI/ML, high-performance computing (HPC), or other advanced workloads.
- Experience with designing systems that meet energy efficiency standards and reduce overall power consumption.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with the ability to identify and resolve complex thermal challenges in server environments.
- Strong communication skills to work effectively with cross-functional teams, including mechanical, electrical, and system engineers.
- Ability to create detailed engineering drawings, thermal models, and documentation for both internal and external stakeholders.
- Strong attention to detail in both design and documentation, ensuring high-quality deliverables.