Mountain View

Who we are Our team is the first in the world to use autonomous vehicles on public roads using end-to-end deep learning. With our multi-national world-class technical team, we’re building things differently.

We don’t think it’s scalable to tell an algorithm how to drive through hand-coded rules and expensive HD maps. Instead, we believe that using experience and data will allow our algorithms to be more intelligent: capable of easily adapting to new environments. Our aim is to be the future of self-driving cars: the first to deploy in 100 cities across the world bringing autonomy to everyone, everywhere.

Where you will have an impact: Science is the team that is advancing our end-to-end autonomous driving research. The team’s mission is to accelerate our journey to AV2.0 and ensure the future success of Wayve by incubating and investing in new ideas that have the potential to become game-changing technological advances for the company.

As the first Research Manager in our Mountain View office, you will be responsible for managing & scaling a strong Science team which is building our Wayve Foundational Model in collaboration with other Wayve science teams in London and Vancouver. You will provide coaching and guidance to each of the researchers and engineers within your team and work with leaders across the company to ensure sustainable career growth for your team during a period of growth in the company. You will participate in our project-based operating model where your focus will be unlocking the potential of your team and its technical leaders to drive industry-leading impact. As part of your work, you will help identify the right projects to invest in, ensure the right allocation of resources to those projects, keep the team in good health, provide technical feedback to your team, share progress to build momentum, and build alignment and strong collaboration across the wider Science organisation. We are actively hiring and aim to substantially grow our research team over the next two years and you will be at the heart of this.

What you’ll bring to Wayve Essential: Prior experience as a manager of research teams (10-15+ people) with a clear career interest towards management Passionate about fostering personal and professional growth in individual team members Experience with roadmap planning, stakeholder management, requirements gathering and alignment with peers towards milestones and deliverables Strong knowledge of Machine Learning and related areas, such as Deep Learning, Natural Language Processing, Computer Vision, etc. Industry experience with machine learning technology development which has had real-world product impact Experience driving a team and technical project through the full lifecycle, ideally within the language, vision or multimodal space Passionate about bringing research concepts through to product Research and engineering fundamentals MS or PhD in Computer Science, Engineering, or similar experience

Desirable: Experience managing the execution of a technical product Good experience working in a project-based (“matrix”) operating environment Proven track record of successfully delivering research projects and publications Experience working with robotics, self-driving, AR/VR, or LLMs Our offer Competitive compensation, on-site chef and bar, lots of fun socials, workplace nursery scheme, comprehensive private health insurance and more! Immersion in a team of world-class researchers, engineers and entrepreneurs. A position to shape the future of autonomous driving, and thus bring about a real world deployment of a breakthrough technology. Help relocating/travelling to London, with visa sponsorship. Flexible working hours - we trust you to do your job well, at times that suit you and your team.

Excited to see you at CVPR! We’ll be at booth 1404. Come see us to talk more about roles.

Our team consists of people with diverse software and academic experiences. We work together towards one common goal: integrating the software, you'll help us build into hundreds of millions of vehicles.

As a Research Engineer for Optimization, you will focus on research and development related to the optimization of ML models on GPU’s or AI accelerators. You will use your judgment in complex scenarios and apply optimization techniques to a wide variety of technical problems. Specifically, you will:

• Research, prototype and evaluate state of the art model optimization techniques and algorithms
• Characterize neural network quality and performance based on research, experiment and performance data and profiling
• Incorporate optimizations and model development best practices into existing ML development lifecycle and workflow.
• Define the technical vision and roadmap for DL model optimizations
• Write technical reports indicating qualitative and quantitative results to colleagues and customers
• Develop, deploy and optimize deep learning (DL) models on various GPU and AI accelerator chipsets/platforms

Location Multiple Locations

Description

Members of our team are part of a multi-disciplinary core research group within Qualcomm which spans software, hardware, and systems. Our members contribute technology deployed worldwide by partnering with our business teams across mobile, compute, automotive, cloud, and IOT. We also perform and publish state-of-the-art research on a wide range of topics in machine-learning, ranging from general theory to techniques that enable deployment on resource-constrained devices. Our research team has demonstrated first-in-the-world research and proof-of-concepts in areas such model efficiency, neural video codecs, video semantic segmentation, federated learning, and wireless RF sensing (https://www.qualcomm.com/ai-research), has won major research competitions such as the visual wake word challenge, and converted leading research into best-in-class user-friendly tools such as Qualcomm Innovation Center’s AI Model Efficiency Toolkit (https://github.com/quic/aimet). We recently demonstrated the feasibility of running a foundation model (Stable Diffusion) with >1 billion parameters on an Android phone under one second after performing our full-stack AI optimizations on the model.

Role responsibility can include both, applied and fundamental research in the field of machine learning with development focus in one or many of the following areas:

• Conducts fundamental machine learning research to create new models or new training methods in various technology areas, e.g. large language models, deep generative models (VAE, Normalizing-Flow, ARM, etc), Bayesian deep learning, equivariant CNNs, adversarial learning, diffusion models, active learning, Bayesian optimizations, unsupervised learning, and ML combinatorial optimization using tools like graph neural networks, learned message-passing heuristics, and reinforcement learning.

• Drives systems innovations for model efficiency advancement on device as well as in the cloud. This includes auto-ML methods (model-based, sampling based, back-propagation based) for model compression, quantization, architecture search, and kernel/graph compiler/scheduling with or without systems-hardware co-design.

• Performs advanced platform research to enable new machine learning compute paradigms, e.g., compute in memory, on-device learning/training, edge-cloud distributed/federated learning, causal and language-based reasoning.

• Creates new machine learning models for advanced use cases that achieve state-of-the-art performance and beyond. The use cases can broadly include computer vision, audio, speech, NLP, image, video, power management, wireless, graphics, and chip design

• Design, develop & test software for machine learning frameworks that optimize models to run efficiently on edge devices. Candidate is expected to have strong interest and deep passion on making leading-edge deep learning algorithms work on mobile/embedded platforms for the benefit of end users.

• Research, design, develop, enhance, and implement different components of machine learning compiler for HW Accelerators.

• Design, implement and train DL/RL algorithms in high-level languages/frameworks (PyTorch and TensorFlow).

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Overview Microsoft Research (MSR), a leading industrial research laboratory, comprises over 1,000 computer scientists working across the United States, United Kingdom, China, India, Canada, and the Netherlands.

We are currently seeking Principal Researcher in the area of Artificial Specialized Intelligence and artificial general intelligence located in Vancouver, British Columbia.

This is an opportunity to drive an ambitious research agenda while collaborating with diverse teams to push for novel applications of those areas.

Over the past 30 years, our scientists have not only conducted world-class computer science research but also integrated advanced technologies into our products and services, positively impacting millions of lives and propelling Microsoft to the forefront of digital transformation.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

Responsibilities Identifying and driving new research directions, creating new technologies and collaborating with Microsoft product groups and external partners to deploy them in real-world settings. Stay current with the latest trends, research, and developments in AI, machine learning, and system architecture to ensure our systems remain at the forefront of innovation. Evaluate the performance of AI-centric systems and provide recommendations for improvement and optimization. Publish research findings in peer-reviewed journals, conferences, and other relevant venues, and present research results to internal and external stakeholders. Mentor and guide researchers and engineers in their research and development efforts. Collaborate with industry partners and academic institutions to drive joint research projects and initiatives.

ASML US, including its affiliates and subsidiaries, bring together the most creative minds in science and technology to develop lithography machines that are key to producing faster, cheaper, more energy-efficient microchips. We design, develop, integrate, market and service these advanced machines, which enable our customers - the world’s leading chipmakers - to reduce the size and increase the functionality of their microchips, which in turn leads to smaller, more powerful consumer electronics. Our headquarters are in Veldhoven, Netherlands and we have 18 office locations around the United States including main offices in Chandler, Arizona, San Jose and San Diego, California, Wilton, Connecticut, and Hillsboro, Oregon.

The Advanced Development Center at ASML in Wilton, Connecticut is seeking an Optical Data Analyst with expertise processing of images for metrology process development of ultra-high precision optics and ceramics. The Advanced Development Center (ADC) is a multi-disciplinary group of engineers and scientists focused on developing learning loop solutions, proto-typing of next generation wafer and reticle clamping systems and industrialization of proto-types that meet the system performance requirements.

Role and Responsibilities The main job function is to develop image processing, data analysis and machine learning algorithm and software to aid in development of wafer and reticle clamping systems to solve challenging engineering problems associated with achieving nanometer (nm) scale precision. You will be part of the larger Development and Engineering (DE) sector – where the design and engineering of ASML products happens.

As an Optical Data Analyst, you will: Develop/improve image processing algorithm to extract nm level information from scientific imaging equipment (e.g. interferometer, SEM, AFM, etc.) Integrate algorithms into image processing software package for analysis and process development cycles for engineering and manufacturing users Maintain version controlled software package for multiple product generations Perform software testing to identify application, algorithm and software bugs Validate/verify/regression/unit test software to ensure it meets the business and technical requirements Use machine learning models to predict trends and behaviors relating to lifetime and manufacturing improvements of the product Execute a plan of analysis, software and systems, to mitigate product and process risk and prevent software performance issues Collaborate with the design team in software analysis tool development to find solutions to difficult technical problems in an efficient manner Work with database structures and utilize capabilities Write software scripts to search, analyze and plot data from database Support query code to interrogate data for manufacturing and engineering needs Support image analysis on data and derive conclusions Travel (up to 10%) to Europe, Asia and within the US can be expected

Figma is growing our team of passionate people on a mission to make design accessible to all. Born on the Web, Figma helps entire product teams brainstorm, design and build better products — from start to finish. Whether it’s consolidating tools, simplifying workflows, or collaborating across teams and time zones, Figma makes the design process faster, more efficient, and fun while keeping everyone on the same page. From great products to long-lasting companies, we believe that nothing great is made alone—come make with us!

We’re looking for engineers with a Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence background to improve our products and build new capabilities. You will be driving fundamental and applied research in this area. You will be combining industry best practices and a first-principles approach to design and build ML models that will improve Figma’s design and collaboration tool.

What you’ll do at Figma:

• You will be driving fundamental and applied research in ML/AI. You will explore the boundaries of what is possible with the current technology set.
• You will be combining industry best practices and a first-principles approach to design and build ML models.
• Work in concert with product and infrastructure engineers to improve Figma’s design and collaboration tool through ML powered product features.
• We'd love to hear from you if you have:
• 5+ years of experience in programming languages (Python, C++, Java or R)
• 3+ years of experience in one or more of the following areas: machine learning, natural language processing/understanding, computer vision, generative models.
• Proven experience researching, building and/or fine-tuning ML models in production environments
• Experience communicating and working across functions to drive solutions

While not required, It’s an added plus if you also have:

• Proven track record of planning multi-year roadmap in which shorter-term projects ladder to the long-term vision.
• Experience in mentoring/influencing senior engineers across organizations.

New York, United States

Overview Microsoft Research New York City (MSR NYC) is seeking applicants for a senior researcher position focusing on representation learning and efficient decision making with learned representations in the broader area of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI), and in particular in the areas of interactive learning, this include deep learning with large foundation models over actions, and reinforcement learning.

Researchers in the ML/AI group cover a breadth of focus areas and research methodologies/approaches, spanning theoretical and empirical ML. We appreciate candidates with the potential to leverage/enhance the work of others in the group.

As a senior researcher, you will interact with our group's diverse array of researchers and practitioners, and contribute to ongoing research projects. We collaborate extensively with groups at other MSR locations and across Microsoft.

Microsoft Research (MSR) offers an exhilarating and supportive environment for cutting-edge, multidisciplinary research, both theoretical and empirical, with access to an extraordinary diversity of data sources, an open publications policy, and close links to top academic institutions around the world.

Applicants should have an established research track record, evidenced by conference or journal publications (or equivalent pieces of writing) and broader contributions to the research community. Applicants must have fulfilled their PhD degree requirements, including submission of their dissertation, prior to joining MSR NYC.

We are committed to building an inclusive, diverse, and pluralistic research environment and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We work collectively to make Microsoft Research a welcoming and productive space for all researchers.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more, and we are dedicated to this mission across every aspect of our company. Our culture is centered on embracing a growth mindset and encouraging teams and leaders to bring their best each day. Join us and help shape the future of the world.

Responsibilities As a senior researcher, you define your own research agenda in collaboration with other researchers, driving forward an effective program of basic, fundamental, and applied research. We highly value collaboration and building new ideas with members of the group and others. You may also have the direct opportunity to realize your ideas in products and services used worldwide.

Figma is growing our team of passionate people on a mission to make design accessible to all. Born on the Web, Figma helps entire product teams brainstorm, design and build better products — from start to finish. Whether it’s consolidating tools, simplifying workflows, or collaborating across teams and time zones, Figma makes the design process faster, more efficient, and fun while keeping everyone on the same page. From great products to long-lasting companies, we believe that nothing great is made alone—come make with us!

The AI Platform team at Figma is working on an exciting mission of expanding the frontiers of AI for creativity, and developing magical experiences in Figma products. This involves making existing features like search smarter, and incorporating new features using cutting edge Generative AI and deep learning techniques. We’re looking for engineers with a background in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence to improve our products and build new capabilities. You will be driving fundamental and applied research in this area. You will be combining industry best practices and a first-principles approach to design and build ML models that will improve Figma’s design and collaboration tool.

What you’ll do at Figma:

• Driving fundamental and applied research in ML/AI using Generative AI, deep learning and classical machine learning, with Figma product use cases in mind.
• Formulate and implement new modeling approaches both to improve the effectiveness of Figma’s current models as well as enable the launch of entirely new AI-powered product features.
• Work in concert with other ML researchers, as well as product and infrastructure engineers to productionize new models and systems to power features in Figma’s design and collaboration tool.
• Expand the boundaries of what is possible with the current technology set and experiment with novel ideas.
• Publish scientific work on problems relevant to Figma in leading conferences like ICML, NeurIPS, CVPR etc.

We'd love to hear from you if you have:

• Recently obtained or is in the process of obtaining a PhD in AI, Computer Science or a related field. Degree must be completed prior to starting at Figma.
• Demonstrated expertise in machine learning with a publication record in relevant conferences, or a track record in applying machine learning techniques to products.
• Experience in Python and machine learning frameworks (such as PyTorch, TensorFlow or JAX).
• Experience building systems based on deep learning, natural language processing, computer vision, and/or generative models.
• Experience solving sophisticated problems and comparing alternative solutions, trade-offs, and diverse points of view to determine a path forward.
• Experience communicating and working across functions to drive solutions.

While not required, it’s an added plus if you also have:

• Experience working in industry on relevant AI projects through internships or past full time work.
• Publications in recent advances in AI like Large language models (LLMs), Vision language Models (VLMs) or diffusion models.

San Jose, CA

The Media Analytics team at NEC Labs America is seeking outstanding researchers with backgrounds in computer vision or machine learning. Candidates must possess an exceptional track record of original research and passion to create high impact products. Our key research areas include autonomous driving, open vocabulary perception, prediction and planning, simulation, neural rendering, agentic LLMs and foundational vision-language models. We have a strong internship program and active collaborations with academia. The Media Analytics team publishes extensively at top-tier venues such as CVPR, ICCV or ECCV.

To check out our latest work, please visit: https://www.nec-labs.com/research/media-analytics/

Qualifications: 1. PhD in Computer Science (or equivalent) 2. Strong publication record at top-tier computer vision or machine learning venues 3. Motivation to conduct independent research from conception to implementation.

Location San Diego

Description

Artificial Intelligence is changing the world for the benefit of human beings and societies. QUALCOMM, as the world's leading mobile computing platform provider, is committed to enable the wide deployment of intelligent solutions on all possible devices – like smart phones, autonomous vehicles, robotics and IOT devices. Qualcomm is creating building blocks for the intelligent edge.

We are part of Qualcomm AI Research, and we focus on advancing Edge AI machine learning technology – including model fine tuning, hardware acceleration, model quantization, model compression, network architecture search (NAS), edge inference and related fields. Come join us on this exciting journey. In this particular role, you will work in a dynamic research environment, be part of a multi-disciplinary team of researchers and software engineers who work with cutting edge AI frameworks and tools. You will architect, design, develop, test, and deploy on- and off-device benchmarking workflows for model zoos.

Minimum Qualifications: • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field and 4+ years of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience. OR Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field and 3+ years of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience. OR PhD in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field and 2+ years of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.The successful applicant should have a strong theoretical background and proven hands-on experience with AI as modern software-, web-, and cloud-engineering.

Must have experience and skills: Strong theoretical background in AI and general ML techniques Proven hands-on experience with model training, inference, and evaluation. Proven hands-on experience with PyTorch, ONNX, TensorFlow, CUDA, and others. Experience developing data pipelines for ML/AI training and inferencing in the cloud. Prior experience in deploying containerized (web-) applications to IAAS environments such as AWS (preferred), Azure or GCP, backed by Dev-Ops and CI/CD technologies. Strong Linux command line skills. Strong experience with Docker and Git. Strong general analytical and debugging skills. Prior experience working in agile environments. Prior experience in collaborating with multi-disciplinary teams across time zones. Strong team player, communicator, presenter, mentor, and teacher. Preferred extra experience and skills: Prior experience with model quantization, profiling and running models on edge devices. Prior experience in developing full stack web applications using frameworks such as Ruby-on-Rails (preferred), Django, Phoenix/Elixir, Spring, Node.js or others. Knowledge of relational database design and optimization, hands on experience with running Postgres (preferred), MySQL or other relational databases in production Preferred qualifications: Bachelor's, Master's and/or PhD degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field and 2-5 years of work experience in Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, Hardware Engineering or related.

Redmond, Washington, United States

Overview The Azure AI Platform (AIP) provides organizations across the world with the tooling and infrastructure needed to build and host AI workloads. The AI Platform organization is scaling rapidly, and we are establishing a world-class data analytics platform to support data-driven decision making through the organization.

We are looking to hire a Senior Data Scientist to join the newly formed AI Platform Analytics team. This individual will be responsible for collaborating with teams across AI Platform to establish trustworthy data sets and provide actionable insights and analysis.

We do not just value differences or different perspectives. We seek them out and invite them in so we can tap into the collective power of everyone in the company. As a result, our customers are better served.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

In alignment with our Microsoft values, we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment for all employees to positively impact our culture every day.

Responsibilities

Apply your knowledge in quantitative analysis, data mining, and the presentation of data to inform decision-making. Build data manipulation, processing, and data visualization tools and share these tools and your knowledge across the team, Cloud and AI, and Microsoft. Handle large amounts of data using various tools, including your own. Ensure high-quality and reliable data. Drive end-to-end projects by utilizing, applying and analyzing data to associated business problems. Engage with Upper Level Management by making key business decisions. Mentor other team members. Contribute to data-driven culture by collaborating with product and engineering teams across Azure to establish and share best practices Embody our culture and values

Location Mountain View, CA

Gatik is thrilled to be at CVPR! Come meet our team at booth 1831 to talk about how you could make an impact at the autonomous middle mile logistics company redefining the transportation landscape.

Who we are: Gatik, the leader in autonomous middle mile logistics, delivers goods safely and efficiently using its fleet of light & medium-duty trucks. The company focuses on short-haul, B2B logistics for Fortune 500 customers including Kroger, Walmart, Tyson Foods, Loblaw, Pitney Bowes, Georgia-Pacific, and KBX; enabling them to optimize their hub-and-spoke supply chain operations, enhance service levels and product flow across multiple locations while reducing labor costs and meeting an unprecedented expectation for faster deliveries. Gatik’s Class 3-7 autonomous box trucks are commercially deployed in multiple markets including Texas, Arkansas, and Ontario, Canada.

About the role:

We're currently looking for a tech lead with specialized skills in LiDAR, camera, and radar perception technologies to enhance our autonomous driving systems' ability to understand and interact with complex environments. In this pivotal role, you'll be instrumental in designing and refining the ML algorithms that enable our trucks to safely navigate and operate in complex, dynamic environments. You will collaborate with a team of experts in AI, robotics, and software engineering to push the boundaries of what's possible in autonomous trucking.

What you'll do: - Design and implement cutting-edge perception algorithms for autonomous vehicles, focusing on areas such as sensor fusion, 3D object detection, segmentation, and tracking in complex dynamic environments - Design and implement ML models for real-time perception tasks, leveraging deep neural networks to enhance the perception capabilities of self-driving trucks - Lead initiatives to collect, augment, and utilize large-scale datasets for training and validating perception models under various driving conditions - Develop robust testing and validation frameworks to ensure the reliability and safety of the perception systems across diverse scenarios and edge cases - Conduct field tests and simulations to validate and refine perception algorithms, ensuring robust performance in real-world trucking routes and conditions - Work closely with the data engineering team to build and maintain large-scale datasets for training and evaluating perception models, including the development of data augmentation techniques

**Please click on the Apply link below to see the full job description and apply.

Job Description Summary As a Research Engineer involved in the design of electrical machines, you will work in a collaborative team environment. You will be contributing to the development of advanced machine system concepts as well as their implementation for application to aircraft engine systems, power generation, and electric and hybrid vehicle applications. As part of a multi-disciplinary team, you will contribute to the planning, development, and transition of technologies from concept to products and/or services for GE Aerospace internal and external clients.

GE Aerospace Research will continue to play a vital role in supporting the industry through a historic recovery while shaping the future of flight. We invent the future of flight, lift people up and bring them home safely. Our commitment to lead the industry, to keep safe the flying public and the armed forces, and to lift up one another and our communities, remains our north star. Our purpose is what ties us to one another and gives meaning to our work.

Roles and Responsibilities

Work with customers to identify key system requirements.

Determine electrical machine (generators, motors, power delivery, and accessories') requirements by studying system and customer requirements.

Use system simulation tools, such as MATLAB, Simulink, and PLECS, to validate and refine control algorithms for a wide array of electric machines to ensure the system will perform in a manner consistent with the requirements.

Integrate the output of finite element analysis and other machine design software to determine and implement machine parameters within the system model.

Work closely with the electrical machine design team to make sure the physical machine meets requirements.

Develop and implement test procedures for electrical machine systems and document performance characteristics.

Deliver effective presentations, reports, and publications to Global Research, GE Businesses, government agencies, professional societies, and peer-reviewed journals.

Required Qualifications

PHD in Electrical Engineering or related field, with primary focus in controls applied to electric machines.

In-depth knowledge of electrical machines including electromagnetic, thermal as well as mechanical technology aspects.

Experience in a wide variety of machine topologies

Expertise in simulation tools such as finite elements, MATLAB (Simulink) and others such as PLECS.

US Citizenship required

Must be willing to work out of an office located in Niskayuna, NY

Must be 18 years or older

You must submit your application for employment on the careers page at www.gecareers.com to be considered.

Desired Characteristics

Experience in Automotive Hybrid Electrical or Aerospace Systems.

Strong interpersonal skills.

Strong analytical skills.

Ability to work across all functions/levels as part of a global team.

Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Strong ties to the external technical community.

Entrepreneurial inclination

The base pay range for this position is 80,000 - 150,000 USD Annually. The specific pay offered may be influenced by a variety of factors, including the candidate’s experience, education, and skill set. This position is also eligible for an annual discretionary bonus based on a percentage of your base salary. This posting is expected to close on July 12, 2024

At Zoox, you will collaborate with a team of world-class engineers with diverse backgrounds in areas such as AI, robotics, mechatronics, planning, control, localization, computer vision, rendering, simulation, distributed computing, design, and automated testing. You’ll master new technologies while working on code, algorithms, and research in your area of expertise to create and refine key systems and move Zoox forward.

Working at a startup gives you the chance to manifest your creativity and highly impact the final product.