【Interview #11】 The Engineering Team Behind Our Computational Infrastructure

At NABLAS, where research and development of AI technology is our core focus, there's a team that plays a vital role in supporting all of it from behind the scenes. That’s our Engineering Team—software engineers who handle everything from building and operating computational infrastructure to developing applications!

In this interview, we spoke with Takuto Yoshikai, a member of the Engineering Team, about what the team does, what makes the work rewarding, and his goals for the future.

Can you tell us about the team you belong to?

At NABLAS, in addition to researchers and engineers working in the AI domain, we have software engineers who are responsible for building and maintaining computational infrastructure, as well as developing applications. These engineers make up the Engineering Team, and I am one of its members.

In many AI companies, high-performance computing (HPC) environments that leverage GPUs are essential. I believe that computational infrastructure is a crucial component that determines an AI company’s competitive edge. If the Engineering Team can provide a user-friendly and efficient environment, researchers can rapidly build and test new models. On the flip side, if the design is poor, the system may become difficult to use or incur unnecessary costs. This makes our work highly impactful on the company’s overall profitability, and I feel a strong sense of responsibility because of it.

What are your main responsibilities?

Here are the core tasks we handle:

• Building and maintaining scientific computing environments (for researchers)

• Application development

• Office infrastructure maintenance and setup

  
  

In addition to developing and maintaining scientific computing environments (such as GPU/HPC systems), we also develop applications that integrate machine learning models created by researchers. We’re also responsible for organizing the office network and infrastructure—our scope is quite broad.

Are there any principles you follow to fulfill your team’s role in the company?

We prioritize what we call “compound interest work”—tasks that provide long-term efficiency gains. For example, if we create a system that eliminates the need for an engineer to perform a specific task manually, that engineer can then spend time on more valuable work. Among engineers, there’s a well-known phrase: "Laziness is one of the three great virtues of a good programmer." I believe in working hard to create systems that reduce the time and effort required in the future.

Could you share an episode where the work was particularly challenging?

At NABLAS, there’s a culture of encouraging new team members to start with tasks that align with their strengths. I started by proposing a minimization and streamlining of our office infrastructure, based on my expertise.

Over time, NABLAS had accumulated powerful computing equipment like the DGX Station, custom-built GPU servers, file storage systems, and more. These were all connected in increasingly complex ways, making it hard to get a clear picture of the overall setup. We also suspected that some of the equipment was no longer necessary, so simplifying and organizing the infrastructure became a major goal.

Since the connections were so complex, even knowing where to begin was a challenge. I started by investigating each piece of equipment in our server rack—checking which ones were in use, which ones were powered but unused—and performed a full inventory. I also documented server configurations in detail, which helped clarify the overall system. I then rewrote our server management scripts from scratch, removed unnecessary devices, and designed a simpler operational flow. As a result, the number of infrastructure-related issues reported to the Engineering Team decreased significantly. We were able to spend less time on troubleshooting and more time on high-priority tasks. I’m glad I tackled this early on as a form of “compound interest work.”

This project allowed me to fully leverage my knowledge of Linux and network protocols, and starting with something I was confident in helped me quickly understand the company and our team. It was also a valuable opportunity to learn new things and grow my skills.

What do you like about your team?

One thing I appreciate is how direct and concise our communication is—excluding casual chats. I’m not a fan of unnecessarily long meetings or vague conversations, which I sometimes find stressful, but I don’t experience that at NABLAS. That helps me stay focused and productive.

Another great aspect is the opportunity to build real experience working in English. Many of our technical team members are non-Japanese, so English is used frequently in day-to-day communication. I don’t have a TOEIC score, so it’s hard to assess my ability objectively, but with an English level equivalent to junior high or early high school, you can manage most work conversations. And if you ever get stuck, someone’s usually there to help, so I’ve never had trouble getting my message across.

Thanks to that, I’ve gradually become more comfortable using English at work, and I can feel my speaking skills improving since I joined. It’s rare to find such an environment, and I find it very encouraging.

Are there any goals or challenges your team wants to take on?

As a team, we aim to automate and streamline operations so that things run smoothly even without us directly involved. Our current environment gives us the freedom to take on interesting projects, so by creating more time and flexibility through automation, I believe we’ll be able to tackle even more exciting challenges. That’s why I think the Engineering Team is never boring—there’s always something stimulating happening.

Finally, what kind of person do you think would be a good fit for the team?

• Someone who may not have strong English skills yet, but is eager to take on challenges and can communicate proactively

• Someone passionate about technology—especially server and GPU-related tech—or enjoys solving problems

• Someone who’s looking for an environment where they can grow

If that sounds like you, you’d be a great fit for our Engineering Team!

Thank you, Yoshikai san, for the interview!

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