Firmware Engineer - Boot & SoC Initialization - CA, Folsom, United States
Originally posted 16 July 2026 by the employer.
About the role
This role joins a System IP team developing boot firmware that enables system-on-chip (SoC) initialization across client, server, AI, and semi-custom platforms. You will work at the intersection of firmware and hardware in a pre-silicon environment, owning low-level boot code that runs at power-on.
What you'll do
- Develop and maintain boot firmware for SoC initialization and boot flows. - Translate architecture requirements into firmware solutions and implement unit-level tests for boot and initialization features. - Collaborate with verification teams to support pre-silicon validation efforts and coverage analysis. - Debug issues across firmware, simulation, RTL, and post-silicon environments. - Support silicon bring-up activities and provide post-silicon debug assistance. - Document features, flows, and system interactions.
What you'll need
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field. - Ability to develop low-level boot code translating architecture requirements into firmware. - Debugging capabilities spanning firmware, simulation, RTL, and post-silicon environments.
Nice to have
- Experience with C/C++ development for low-level or embedded systems. - Understanding of microprocessor architectures such as ARM or RISC-V. - Familiarity with SoC boot flows, resets, clocking, and initialization. - Exposure to pre-silicon environments, simulation-based development, and UVM-based verification environments. - Knowledge of hardware description languages such as Verilog or SystemVerilog. - Experience with scripting using Shell, Perl, Ruby, or Makefile. - Exposure to emulation, silicon bring-up, or post-silicon debug.
This role has been open 96 days — well above the 56-day median for Embedded Firmware Engineering roles.
Embedded Firmware Engineering · Systems Software
|
Open roles in category
738
|
Median days open
56 d
|
Median salary
$169k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, and who else is hiring
| Metric | AMD | All employers we track in this specialty (738 roles · 83 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 63 | 738 |
| Open roles in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family | 410 | 6222 · 145 employers |
| Median days open | 39 d | 56 d (−17 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $169k |
Who's hiring in this category
- Qualcomm · 123 open roles · median 50 d
- AMD (this employer) · 63 open roles · median 38 d
- Micron Technology · 61 open roles · median 88 d
- NVIDIA · 56 open roles · median 61 d
- Lattice Semiconductor · 48 open roles · median 41 d
- NXP Semiconductors · 30 open roles · median 33 d
How we counted: 738 open Embedded Firmware Engineering (Systems Software) roles from 83 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 20 Oct 2026. Specialty figures count only roles carrying this exact specialty label, so an employer's related work in neighbouring specialties is not included there — it is counted in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family row. Figures refresh nightly.