FY27 Intern - Firmware / Embedded Software Engineering Internship (Canada, 12 or 16 months)
QualcommJob Title
FY27 Intern - Firmware / Embedded Software Engineering Internship (Canada, 12 or 16 months)
Role Summary
Intern on the Mixed Signal IP Firmware and Embedded Software team in Toronto, developing embedded firmware, SDKs, and tooling for high-speed SerDes and die-to-die interconnect IP used in SoCs, ASICs, and chiplets.
Work under an experienced engineer and mentor on firmware (low-level C on RISC-V controllers), customer SDKs (C/Python), lab bring-up, test automation, and CI to support silicon bring-up, validation, and production releases.
Experience Level
Entry-level internship. Position duration is 12 or 16 months with expected start May/June 2027; candidates will be placed into specific project roles during hiring.
Responsibilities
Typical responsibilities include hands-on firmware, SDK, and tooling development plus lab integration and validation.
- Write and debug low-level C firmware and device drivers that configure, calibrate, monitor, and control high-speed SerDes and interconnect hardware.
- Extend and maintain customer-facing C and Python SDK features for bring-up, calibration, diagnostics, and register access.
- Port and optimize firmware across simulation, emulation, FPGA, and silicon environments.
- Build Python tooling, lab automation, regression tests, and test frameworks to improve firmware quality.
- Improve build, release, and continuous integration flows for multi-platform validation.
- Develop debug tools, command-line utilities, GUIs, and dashboards for link health and test coverage visibility.
- Investigate integration issues with cross-functional teams and drive issues to root cause.
- Work in the lab with firmware, design, verification, systems, and validation engineers to bring up and debug silicon.
- Contribute to technical documentation, code reviews, test plans, and release processes.
Requirements
Core technical skills and behaviours expected for successful candidates.
- Must-have: Hands-on programming experience in C and/or Python (academic or project experience).
- Must-have: Familiarity with Linux development environments, command-line tools, and basic shell scripting.
- Must-have: Experience with version control (Git) and collaborative development practices.
- Knowledge or coursework in embedded systems, microcontrollers, memory-mapped registers, or device drivers.
- Ability to debug software and system-level integration issues; strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
- Effective verbal and written communication; ability to work in cross-functional teams.
- Nice-to-have: Familiarity with build systems, CI tools (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins), hardware simulation/emulation, Verilog/SystemVerilog, FPGA platforms, lab equipment, or silicon bring-up experience.
Education Requirements
Enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program (in progress) in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Engineering Science, Computer Science, or a related field. Expected graduation November 2028 or later. Availability: for 16-month internships, available May/June 2027 through August/September 2028; for 12-month internships, available May/June 2027 through May/June 2028. At least 1+ years of academic experience programming in languages such as C, C++, or Python.
About the Company
Company: Qualcomm
Headquarters: San Diego, California, United States
Qualcomm is a global leader in semiconductor and telecommunications equipment, specializing in mobile technologies and innovations. Known for its Adreno GPUs, the company provides solutions enabling advancements in mobile gaming, AI, VR/AR, and autonomous driving. Qualcomm's cutting-edge technology and commitment to high-performance, power-efficient designs drive the evolution of mobile graphics and connectivity worldwide.
