AI Infrastructure US Salary Guide
The latest salary benchmarks for ML infrastructure, platform engineering, distributed training, model serving, inference, MLOps, and performance engineering roles across the US.
Understanding Compensation Across AI Infrastructure
Compensation across AI infrastructure continues to rise as organisations compete for engineers capable of building, scaling, and supporting production AI systems. Salary expectations vary across ML systems, platform engineering, distributed training, model serving, inference, performance engineering, and MLOps, with the highest compensation often concentrated around large-scale AI deployment and GPU infrastructure.
These benchmarks are built from DeepRec.ai's live hiring activity across the US AI market, reflecting real compensation trends, candidate availability, and hiring demand from startups, scale-ups, and enterprise AI teams.
ML Systems, Infrastructure & Platform Salary Benchmarks
Q1 2026 base salary benchmarks for ML systems, infrastructure, distributed training, model serving, inference, performance, MLOps, and platform engineering roles across major US technology markets.
San Francisco
| Role | IC | Senior | Principal / Lead | Senior Staff | Director | VP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ML Systems | $150K–$215K | $205K–$285K | $270K–$385K | $335K–$475K | $285K–$400K | $360K–$490K |
| ML Infrastructure | $155K–$220K | $215K–$295K | $280K–$400K | $345K–$490K | $295K–$410K | $370K–$500K |
| Distributed Training | $160K–$230K | $225K–$315K | $295K–$420K | $360K–$530K | $310K–$430K | $385K–$530K |
| Model Serving | $150K–$215K | $210K–$290K | $275K–$390K | $340K–$480K | $290K–$405K | $365K–$495K |
| Inference | $160K–$230K | $225K–$315K | $295K–$420K | $360K–$530K | $310K–$430K | $385K–$530K |
| ML Performance | $165K–$240K | $230K–$325K | $305K–$440K | $375K–$560K | $320K–$445K | $395K–$545K |
| MLOps | $135K–$195K | $185K–$260K | $245K–$345K | $300K–$425K | $265K–$370K | $345K–$460K |
| ML Platform | $150K–$215K | $210K–$290K | $275K–$390K | $340K–$480K | $290K–$405K | $365K–$495K |
Seattle
| Role | IC | Senior | Principal / Lead | Senior Staff | Director | VP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ML Systems | $140K–$205K | $195K–$270K | $255K–$365K | $315K–$450K | $270K–$380K | $340K–$465K |
| ML Infrastructure | $145K–$210K | $205K–$280K | $265K–$375K | $325K–$460K | $280K–$390K | $350K–$475K |
| Distributed Training | $150K–$220K | $215K–$300K | $280K–$395K | $340K–$500K | $295K–$410K | $360K–$500K |
| Model Serving | $140K–$205K | $200K–$275K | $260K–$370K | $320K–$455K | $275K–$385K | $345K–$470K |
| Inference | $150K–$220K | $215K–$300K | $280K–$395K | $340K–$500K | $295K–$410K | $360K–$500K |
| ML Performance | $155K–$225K | $220K–$310K | $290K–$420K | $355K–$530K | $305K–$425K | $375K–$520K |
| MLOps | $125K–$185K | $170K–$245K | $225K–$325K | $280K–$400K | $250K–$355K | $325K–$440K |
| ML Platform | $140K–$205K | $200K–$275K | $260K–$370K | $320K–$455K | $275K–$385K | $345K–$470K |
New York
| Role | IC | Senior | Principal / Lead | Senior Staff | Director | VP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ML Systems | $145K–$210K | $200K–$280K | $260K–$375K | $320K–$460K | $275K–$385K | $350K–$475K |
| ML Infrastructure | $150K–$215K | $210K–$285K | $270K–$385K | $330K–$470K | $285K–$395K | $355K–$485K |
| Distributed Training | $155K–$225K | $220K–$305K | $285K–$405K | $350K–$510K | $300K–$415K | $370K–$510K |
| Model Serving | $145K–$210K | $205K–$280K | $265K–$380K | $325K–$465K | $280K–$390K | $350K–$480K |
| Inference | $155K–$225K | $220K–$305K | $285K–$405K | $350K–$510K | $300K–$415K | $370K–$510K |
| ML Performance | $160K–$230K | $225K–$315K | $295K–$425K | $365K–$540K | $310K–$430K | $385K–$530K |
| MLOps | $130K–$190K | $175K–$250K | $235K–$335K | $290K–$410K | $255K–$360K | $335K–$450K |
| ML Platform | $145K–$210K | $205K–$280K | $265K–$380K | $325K–$465K | $280K–$390K | $350K–$480K |
Boston
| Role | IC | Senior | Principal / Lead | Senior Staff | Director | VP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ML Systems | $135K–$195K | $185K–$255K | $245K–$345K | $305K–$425K | $260K–$365K | $330K–$440K |
| ML Infrastructure | $140K–$200K | $195K–$265K | $255K–$355K | $315K–$435K | $270K–$375K | $335K–$450K |
| Distributed Training | $145K–$210K | $205K–$285K | $270K–$375K | $330K–$470K | $285K–$390K | $345K–$470K |
| Model Serving | $135K–$195K | $190K–$260K | $250K–$350K | $310K–$430K | $265K–$370K | $330K–$445K |
| Inference | $145K–$210K | $205K–$285K | $270K–$375K | $330K–$470K | $285K–$390K | $345K–$470K |
| ML Performance | $150K–$215K | $210K–$295K | $280K–$395K | $340K–$505K | $295K–$400K | $360K–$495K |
| MLOps | $120K–$175K | $160K–$230K | $215K–$305K | $265K–$375K | $240K–$335K | $310K–$415K |
| ML Platform | $135K–$195K | $190K–$260K | $250K–$350K | $310K–$430K | $265K–$370K | $330K–$445K |
Austin
| Role | IC | Senior | Principal / Lead | Senior Staff | Director | VP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ML Systems | $125K–$180K | $175K–$240K | $230K–$325K | $285K–$400K | $245K–$345K | $310K–$415K |
| ML Infrastructure | $130K–$185K | $180K–$245K | $240K–$335K | $295K–$410K | $255K–$355K | $315K–$420K |
| Distributed Training | $135K–$195K | $190K–$265K | $255K–$355K | $310K–$440K | $265K–$365K | $325K–$440K |
| Model Serving | $125K–$180K | $180K–$245K | $235K–$330K | $290K–$405K | $250K–$350K | $315K–$420K |
| Inference | $135K–$195K | $190K–$265K | $255K–$355K | $310K–$440K | $265K–$365K | $325K–$440K |
| ML Performance | $140K–$200K | $195K–$275K | $260K–$370K | $320K–$470K | $275K–$375K | $335K–$465K |
| MLOps | $115K–$165K | $150K–$215K | $200K–$285K | $250K–$350K | $225K–$315K | $290K–$390K |
| ML Platform | $125K–$180K | $180K–$245K | $235K–$330K | $290K–$405K | $250K–$350K | $315K–$420K |
Chicago
| Role | IC | Senior | Principal / Lead | Senior Staff | Director | VP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ML Systems | $120K–$175K | $170K–$230K | $220K–$310K | $275K–$385K | $235K–$330K | $295K–$395K |
| ML Infrastructure | $125K–$180K | $175K–$235K | $230K–$320K | $285K–$395K | $245K–$340K | $300K–$400K |
| Distributed Training | $130K–$185K | $185K–$255K | $245K–$340K | $300K–$420K | $255K–$350K | $315K–$420K |
| Model Serving | $120K–$175K | $175K–$235K | $225K–$315K | $280K–$390K | $240K–$335K | $300K–$400K |
| Inference | $130K–$185K | $185K–$255K | $245K–$340K | $300K–$420K | $255K–$350K | $315K–$420K |
| ML Performance | $135K–$195K | $190K–$265K | $250K–$355K | $310K–$455K | $265K–$360K | $320K–$445K |
| MLOps | $110K–$160K | $145K–$210K | $195K–$275K | $240K–$335K | $215K–$305K | $280K–$375K |
| ML Platform | $120K–$175K | $175K–$235K | $225K–$315K | $280K–$390K | $240K–$335K | $300K–$400K |
Physics-Informed AI Salary Benchmarks
Compensation benchmarks for physics-informed AI professionals working across scientific machine learning, computational science, HPC, research engineering, simulation, and digital twin systems across major US technology markets.
San Francisco
| Role | IC | Senior | Principal / Lead | Senior Staff | Director | VP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SciML | $130K–$230K | $165K–$310K | $200K–$380K | $230K–$450K | $250K–$475K | $290K–$600K |
| Computational Scientist | $115K–$200K | $145K–$260K | $175K–$320K | $200K–$380K | $225K–$420K | $265K–$525K |
| HPC | $125K–$215K | $160K–$290K | $195K–$360K | $220K–$420K | $250K–$450K | $285K–$560K |
| Research Scientist | $140K–$250K | $175K–$340K | $215K–$420K | $245K–$500K | $270K–$525K | $305K–$650K |
| Research Engineer | $135K–$235K | $170K–$320K | $205K–$400K | $235K–$470K | $260K–$475K | $295K–$600K |
| Simulation | $110K–$195K | $140K–$250K | $170K–$310K | $195K–$360K | $220K–$400K | $255K–$475K |
| Digital Twin | $105K–$185K | $135K–$235K | $165K–$295K | $190K–$345K | $215K–$385K | $250K–$450K |
Seattle
| Role | IC | Senior | Principal / Lead | Senior Staff | Director | VP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SciML | $125K–$215K | $160K–$295K | $195K–$355K | $220K–$410K | $240K–$435K | $275K–$540K |
| Computational Scientist | $110K–$195K | $140K–$250K | $170K–$305K | $195K–$360K | $220K–$395K | $255K–$485K |
| HPC | $120K–$210K | $155K–$280K | $190K–$345K | $215K–$400K | $235K–$430K | $270K–$510K |
| Research Scientist | $135K–$235K | $170K–$315K | $205K–$390K | $235K–$455K | $260K–$485K | $290K–$590K |
| Research Engineer | $130K–$225K | $165K–$305K | $195K–$370K | $225K–$430K | $250K–$455K | $280K–$550K |
| Simulation | $105K–$190K | $135K–$240K | $165K–$295K | $190K–$340K | $215K–$380K | $250K–$455K |
| Digital Twin | $100K–$185K | $130K–$230K | $160K–$285K | $185K–$330K | $210K–$365K | $245K–$435K |
New York
| Role | IC | Senior | Principal / Lead | Senior Staff | Director | VP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SciML | $120K–$210K | $155K–$290K | $185K–$360K | $215K–$425K | $235K–$425K | $280K–$520K |
| Computational Scientist | $110K–$200K | $140K–$255K | $170K–$320K | $195K–$380K | $220K–$395K | $260K–$485K |
| HPC | $115K–$225K | $150K–$300K | $180K–$380K | $210K–$450K | $235K–$420K | $275K–$520K |
| Research Scientist | $125K–$225K | $160K–$300K | $195K–$375K | $225K–$440K | $245K–$425K | $290K–$540K |
| Research Engineer | $120K–$215K | $155K–$290K | $185K–$360K | $215K–$425K | $235K–$415K | $280K–$510K |
| Simulation | $105K–$200K | $135K–$265K | $165K–$340K | $190K–$405K | $210K–$375K | $255K–$455K |
| Digital Twin | $95K–$175K | $125K–$230K | $155K–$300K | $180K–$360K | $200K–$345K | $240K–$420K |
Boston
| Role | IC | Senior | Principal / Lead | Senior Staff | Director | VP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SciML | $125K–$225K | $160K–$300K | $195K–$370K | $220K–$435K | $245K–$460K | $280K–$580K |
| Computational Scientist | $115K–$210K | $145K–$265K | $175K–$325K | $200K–$385K | $225K–$420K | $260K–$520K |
| HPC | $120K–$205K | $155K–$280K | $190K–$345K | $215K–$400K | $240K–$425K | $270K–$520K |
| Research Scientist | $135K–$240K | $170K–$325K | $210K–$405K | $240K–$475K | $265K–$500K | $295K–$615K |
| Research Engineer | $130K–$225K | $165K–$305K | $200K–$380K | $230K–$440K | $255K–$470K | $285K–$575K |
| Simulation | $105K–$185K | $135K–$240K | $165K–$295K | $190K–$345K | $215K–$385K | $250K–$460K |
| Digital Twin | $100K–$180K | $130K–$230K | $160K–$285K | $185K–$330K | $210K–$370K | $245K–$435K |
Austin
| Role | IC | Senior | Principal / Lead | Senior Staff | Director | VP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SciML | $115K–$200K | $145K–$250K | $175K–$310K | $200K–$370K | $220K–$375K | $260K–$440K |
| Computational Scientist | $105K–$185K | $130K–$235K | $160K–$290K | $185K–$350K | $205K–$345K | $240K–$420K |
| HPC | $105K–$190K | $135K–$250K | $165K–$310K | $190K–$370K | $215K–$365K | $250K–$440K |
| Research Scientist | $120K–$215K | $150K–$270K | $180K–$340K | $210K–$410K | $230K–$395K | $270K–$470K |
| Research Engineer | $115K–$205K | $140K–$260K | $170K–$320K | $195K–$390K | $220K–$380K | $260K–$440K |
| Simulation | $100K–$180K | $130K–$230K | $160K–$285K | $185K–$340K | $205K–$355K | $240K–$420K |
| Digital Twin | $90K–$170K | $120K–$215K | $150K–$275K | $175K–$330K | $195K–$335K | $230K–$400K |
Chicago
| Role | IC | Senior | Principal / Lead | Senior Staff | Director | VP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SciML | $110K–$190K | $140K–$240K | $170K–$300K | $195K–$360K | $215K–$370K | $260K–$440K |
| Computational Scientist | $95K–$180K | $125K–$225K | $155K–$285K | $180K–$345K | $205K–$345K | $240K–$420K |
| HPC | $100K–$220K | $130K–$290K | $160K–$370K | $185K–$440K | $215K–$405K | $255K–$480K |
| Research Scientist | $110K–$205K | $140K–$260K | $170K–$330K | $200K–$400K | $220K–$400K | $260K–$470K |
| Research Engineer | $105K–$200K | $135K–$250K | $165K–$320K | $190K–$385K | $215K–$385K | $255K–$440K |
| Simulation | $95K–$200K | $125K–$260K | $155K–$330K | $180K–$400K | $205K–$370K | $240K–$440K |
| Digital Twin | $90K–$170K | $115K–$220K | $145K–$280K | $170K–$335K | $195K–$330K | $230K–$395K |
