PlusAI SWE Intern Data Infra Santa Clara | Columnar AV Storage
| Company | PlusAI — Physical AI / virtual driver software for factory-built autonomous trucks (Fast Company Most Innovative; partners: Scania, MAN, Hyundai, Bosch, DSV) |
| Role | Software Engineer Intern — Data Infrastructure and Tools |
| Location | Santa Clara, CA |
| Pay | $19–$65/hr (based on position, location, year, degree, experience) |
| Focus | Fast columnar file format for AV ops data — compression, object storage, Spark-scale processing; optional ROS2 compatibility |
| Stack | C++ and/or Python; data structures, file I/O, large-scale storage |
Overview
PlusAI builds AI-based virtual driver software for factory-built autonomous trucks. Headquartered in Silicon Valley with US and Europe ops, Plus partners with TRATON (Scania, MAN, International), Hyundai, Iveco, Bosch, and DSV.
This intern role designs and implements a fast columnar file format for data collected during autonomous vehicle operations — optimized for fast topic reads, compression, object-storage compatibility, and large-scale processing via Spark (or similar). If time allows, add ROS2 compatibility. You’ll also build read/write tooling so the format plugs into Plus data processing.
Key Requirements
- Required: Strong C++ and/or Python — design, implement, test, and debug production-quality software.
- Required: Solid grasp of data structures, algorithms, OS concepts, and file I/O performance.
- Required: Experience or strong interest in large-scale data systems, storage formats, distributed processing, or data-intensive apps.
- Required: Basic understanding of compression, serialization, indexing, and random vs sequential read trade-offs.
- Preferred: Familiarity with columnar formats — Parquet, Arrow, ORC, HDF5, MCAP, or similar.
- Project scope: Explore/benchmark candidate formats; integrate selected format into existing data workflows; build tooling.
- Perks: Catered lunch, unlimited snacks/beverages, 401(k), competitive pay/benefits (per listing).
