Firmware Engineer Intern, MS - Summer 2027 - Santa Clara, CA, United States
Originally posted 5 September 2026 by the employer — open 5 days.
About the role
This role involves developing and maintaining embedded firmware for advanced hardware platforms and designing device drivers and firmware features for communication protocols.
What you'll do
- Develop and maintain embedded firmware for hardware platforms, including data center, AI devices, SSD controllers, DSP networking chips, and high-speed PAM4 DSPs.
- Design and implement device drivers and firmware features for communication protocols (SPI, I2C, I3C, UART, MDIO, PCIe, NVMe) and RTOS-based systems.
- Participate in the full product lifecycle: concept, design, implementation, testing, validation, and release.
- Create and enhance automation scripts (Python, shell, bash) for testing, failure analysis, and infrastructure management.
- Develop provisioning software and trusted firmware stacks to enable advanced security features for SoCs, including cryptography and secure protocols (TLS/SSL, IPSec).
- Debug complex hardware/software issues, drive root cause analysis, and manage fixes through issue tracking systems (e.g., Jira).
What you'll need
- Currently enrolled in a MASTER'S Degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field with an expected graduation date between Fall 2027 and Summer 2028.
- Proficiency in Python and/or C.
- Comfortable working in Windows or Linux-based development environments.
- Understanding of computer architecture, networking fundamentals (OSI model, TCP/IP), and/or embedded systems.
Nice to have
- Knowledge or experience with Git, GitHub, or Gerrit.
- Knowledge or experience with Linux, Makefiles, GDB, IDEs, and bash scripting.
- Knowledge or experience with ARM CPU, RISC-V, TrustZone, Calyptra, or Trusted Firmware.
- Knowledge or experience with RTOS architecture, device drivers, and communication protocols (SPI, I2C, I3C, UART, USB, PCIe, MDIO).
- Knowledge or experience with Security protocols (IPSec, TLS/SSL, SPDM, digital certificates, cryptography).
- Knowledge or experience with DSP concepts (Equalizers, Filters, ADC, DAC, FFE, DFE).
- Knowledge or experience with Python/bash scripting, Jenkins CI, and software regression planning.
- Knowledge or experience with GUI development, lab automation, and customer SDKs.
- Knowledge or experience with Ethernet, SERDES, Switches, and Routers.
- Knowledge or experience with Unit testing, system integration, and debugging tools.
This role has been open 5 days — well below the 55-day median for Embedded Firmware Engineering roles.
Embedded Firmware Engineering · Systems Software
|
Open roles in category
690
|
Median days open
55 d
|
Median salary
$176k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Marvell Technology | All employers we track in this specialty (690 roles · 79 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 19 | 690 |
| Open roles in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family | 56 | 5650 · 142 employers |
| Median days open | 104 d | 55 d (+49 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $176k |
Who's hiring in this category
- Qualcomm · 113 open roles · median 57 d
- NVIDIA · 59 open roles · median 51 d
- Micron Technology · 57 open roles · median 76 d
- AMD · 44 open roles · median 37 d
- Lattice Semiconductor · 43 open roles · median 3 d
- NXP Semiconductors · 28 open roles · median 77 d
How we counted: 690 open Embedded Firmware Engineering (Systems Software) roles from 79 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 10 Sept 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.