From Intern to AI Engineering Technologist at Dell

How an intern became a senior AI Engineering Technologist shaping Dell’s biggest AI initiatives.

• Started at Dell as an intern; today a senior AI Engineering Technologist in Dell’s ISG Chief Technology & Innovation Office
• Founding contributor to the Dell Enterprise Hub
• Helps build the Dell AI Factory with NVIDIA
• Holds a U.S. patent used in law-enforcement forensic tools
• Represents Dell at NVIDIA GTC, Dell Technologies World, and Meta’s LlamaCon

For Khushboo Rathi, machine learning became real when her work moved beyond theory. As a graduate student, she prototyped a forensic tool for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) — helping solve crimes and deliver justice more effectively. That work led to a granted U.S. patent, and the techniques she developed are now used in forensic tools by law enforcement. 

“That was the moment I knew,” she says. “I wanted to keep building work that actually makes a difference in society.” 

From intern to AI Engineering Technologist 

Khushboo joined Dell as an intern, working hands-on with TensorFlow, PyTorch, and scikit-learn. That internship became the foundation of a career. Today she’s a senior AI Engineering Technologist in Dell’s Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG) Chief Technology & Innovation Office, serving as a subject-matter expert in generative and agentic AI, and contributing directly to the Dell AI Factory. 

🎥Video: How did your transition from a full-stack software engineer to an AI technologist happen? 

Her path reflects a defining truth about Dell: early-career talent doesn’t just learn — they grow, lead, and build. 

Inside Dell’s AI innovation office 

Dell’s ISG Chief Technology & Innovation Office invests in early-stage R&D — building technologies two to three years ahead of product roadmaps. It’s where hardware, networking, AI, and software experts work together on enterprise-scale challenges. 

As part of that team, Khushboo: 

• Collaborates with partners like NVIDIA to bring agentic AI blueprints to life on the Dell AI Factory, powered by the Dell AI Data Platform. 
• Evaluates the fast-evolving landscape of large language models (LLMs) and agentic independent software vendors (ISVs) for enterprise use. 
• Builds proofs of concept, technical publications, and live demos. 
• Represents Dell at NVIDIA GTC, Dell Technologies World, and Meta’s LlamaCon. 

Her contributions to the NVIDIA AI-Q 2.0 reference architecture on Dell AI Factory were featured across Dell Technologies World 2026 sessions. 

She still codes regularly — prototyping in Python and PyTorch, testing models, and building the same systems that power the demos. “Strategy without code is hollow. Code without strategy is wasted,” she explains. 

🎥Video: How has Dell enabled you to experiment, innovate, and scale AI solutions in ISG? 

How to grow into an AI leadership role at Dell 

Khushboo’s growth into a principal-level technologist has come down to three skills: 

1. Being willing to be wrong in public. Innovation means placing bets before answers are clear. 
2. Pattern recognition across domains. From forensics to enterprise AI, the same architectural challenge shows up: making powerful systems usable in the real world. 
3. Translating across audiences. She talks with NVIDIA engineers, enterprise customers, and Dell leadership — often in the same day. 

“The most valuable skill at this level is knowing which technical problem is worth solving,” she says. “Dell has given me the room to develop that judgment.” 

🎥Video: What advice would you give engineers aiming to transition into AI leadership? 

Turning risk into reality: the Dell Enterprise Hub 

The Dell Enterprise Hub is a platform for training and deploying open AI models on-premises, so enterprises can build secure generative AI applications in their own environments. Khushboo was a founding contributor. 

She helped validate LLMs across Dell server platforms, build applications like the agentic smart router using NVIDIA’s AI-Q toolkit, and co-author technical deep dives with partners like Hugging Face. 

“The most important infrastructure decisions look risky at first,” she reflects. “The Dell Enterprise Hub looked like a stretch when we started. The key is being willing to start.” 

🎥Video: What problem spaces are you focused on, and why? 

Powering what’s next: the Dell AI Factory 

The Dell AI Factory is a full-stack AI solution that supports training, fine-tuning, inference, and agentic workflows. Khushboo has played a key role in building it. 

Today, the systems she helped design run in enterprise data centers around the world across healthcare, finance, retail, manufacturing, telecom, robotics, and the public sector — including a next-generation national lab supercomputer supporting thousands of researchers. 

“What I’m proudest of is that customers are building real businesses on top of what we designed.” 

Representation as a design requirement 

Being featured in Women in Technology was unexpected and meaningful. “You spend most of your career focused on the work,” she says. “Then you hear someone applied because of something you shared — that’s what matters.” 

AI systems reflect the perspectives of the people who build them. Without diversity, those systems risk embedding narrow worldviews at scale. “Representation isn’t a nice-to-have,” she explains. “It’s a design requirement.” 

Advice for the next generation 

Khushboo’s advice for aspiring women in AI: 

• Don’t wait until you feel ready — you won’t. 
• Make your work visible by solving real problems. 
• Build relationships both ahead of and behind you. 

Why build an AI career at Dell 

“Dell has been an amazing company to grow with,” Khushboo says. “As a mom of two girls, it has given me every opportunity to grow my career while balancing my life. I’d love to inspire others to join Dell too.” 

At Dell, internships turn into impactful careers, innovation happens at global scale, and builders are trusted to take risks and lead. For those ready to take on meaningful problems, there’s no better place to start — or to grow. 

Explore engineering careers at Dell → 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can a Dell internship lead to a full-time engineering career?
Yes. Khushboo Rathi joined Dell as an intern and today is a senior AI Engineering Technologist in Dell’s ISG Chief Technology & Innovation Office. Dell’s early-career programs are designed to convert interns into full-time engineers on real product and R&D teams. 

What does an AI Engineering Technologist do at Dell?
An AI Engineering Technologist at Dell serves as a subject-matter expert on generative and agentic AI, evaluates emerging models and tools, builds proofs of concept and demos, and shapes technical strategy for initiatives like the Dell AI Factory and the Dell Enterprise Hub. 

What is the Dell AI Factory?
The Dell AI Factory is Dell’s full-stack AI solution, built with partners including NVIDIA, that supports training, fine-tuning, inference, and agentic workflows for enterprise customers. 

What is the Dell Enterprise Hub?
The Dell Enterprise Hub is a platform for training and deploying open AI models on-premises, enabling enterprises to build secure generative AI applications in their own environments. 

How is Dell supporting women in AI?
Dell invests in representation as a design requirement — hiring, promoting, and spotlighting women engineers, and giving them the flexibility and platform to lead technical work at global scale.