Firmware/Embedded Software Engineer Intern
Qualcomm
Firmware/Embedded Software Engineer Intern
Qualcomm
Designs mobile chips and licenses wireless patents
Qualcomm is a company of inventors that unlocked 5G ushering in an age of rapid acceleration in connectivity and new possibilities that will transform industries, create jobs, and enrich lives. But this is just the beginning. It takes inventive minds with diverse skills, backgrounds, and cultures to transform 5Gs potential into world-changing technologies and products. This is the Invention Age - and this is where you come in.
General Summary:
About Qualcomm
Qualcomm relentlessly innovates transforming businesses, enriching lives and fortifying societies. Our solutions are pivotal in crafting a smarter, interconnected world. Building on our nearly 40-year history of era-defining technology breakthroughs, we deliver leading-edge AI, high performance, lower-power computing, and unrivaled connectivity. We’re proud to be the partner of choice to many of the world’s largest enterprises. Together with our ecosystem partners, we enable next-generation digital transformation. At Qualcomm, we are engineering human progress.
Join Us in Shaping the Future
At Qualcomm, we're committed to engineering human progress by delivering intelligent computing everywhere. We're passionate about harnessing the power of technology to transform industries and improve lives. Our early career programs offer limitless opportunities for growth, mentorship, and meaningful work. By joining our team, you'll be part of a community that's pushing the boundaries of what's possible in AI, computing, and connectivity. With a global footprint spanning over 30 countries, you'll have the chance to collaborate with diverse talent and contribute to projects that are shaping the future of technology.
Our early career programs are designed to attract inventive minds, offering a platform to contribute to our long-term innovation pipeline. You'll be part of a community that values collaboration, creativity, and continuous learning. Our programs provide real-world experience, technical skills, and professional development opportunities, empowering you to make a meaningful impact and achieve your career goals. Join us for our 2027 intern class in Toronto & Ottawa, Canada!
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Role Overview
At Qualcomm Canada, our Mixed Signal IP Firmware and Embedded Software team in Toronto develops the embedded software that powers Qualcomm’s high-performance, multi-standard SerDes PHY and die-to-die interconnect IP. Our IP supports standards such as PCIe, Ethernet, CXL, and UCIe and is integrated into SoCs, ASICs, and chiplets for AI data center, networking, and compute applications.
The team owns the full embedded software stack that controls the hardware, including low-level firmware running on RISC-V-based controllers, customer-facing C and Python SDKs, lab tools and GUIs for interactive debug, and the build, regression, and continuous integration infrastructure that keeps our releases healthy. We are a key enabler of silicon bring-up, validation, and production deployment, and we work closely with digital design, design verification, silicon validation, systems, and DevOps teams.
Under the guidance of an experienced engineer and a dedicated mentor, interns contribute directly to shipping firmware and SDK releases. This posting covers two project areas on the same team: Embedded Firmware and SDK Development, and Firmware Tooling, Test Automation, and CI. Candidates will be considered for both areas, with the final match determined during the interview process.
No prior semiconductor background is required. Through hands-on work, you will learn how software and silicon interact and how a feature progresses from simulation to emulation and real silicon in the lab.
Responsibilities may include:
Writing and debugging low-level C firmware and device drivers that configure, calibrate, monitor, and control high-speed SerDes and die-to-die interconnect hardware
Extending customer-facing C and Python SDK features for link bring-up, calibration, tuning, diagnostics, error monitoring, and register access
Porting and optimizing firmware so that it runs consistently across simulation, emulation, FPGA, and real-silicon environments
Building Python tooling, lab automation, regression tests, and test frameworks that improve firmware quality and development efficiency
Improving build, release, and continuous integration flows used to validate firmware and software across multiple hardware platforms
Developing interactive debug tools, command-line utilities, GUIs, and dashboards that make link health and test coverage visible
Investigating firmware, software, and hardware integration issues and driving them toward root cause with cross-functional engineering teams
Working in the lab alongside firmware, design, verification, systems, and validation engineers to bring up and debug silicon
Contributing to technical documentation, code reviews, test plans, and reliable firmware and SDK releases
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience programming in C and Python
Knowledge of embedded systems, microcontrollers, computer architecture, memory-mapped registers, or device drivers
Experience with Linux development environments, command-line tools, and shell scripting
Relevant academic, personal, open-source, or industry project experience
Experience with Git and collaborative software development practices
Familiarity with build systems, automated testing, regression infrastructure, or CI tools such as GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, or Jenkins
Knowledge of digital logic, computer hardware, or hardware/software interfaces
Familiarity with Verilog or SystemVerilog and hardware simulation or emulation environments
Exposure to communication protocols or high-speed interfaces such as Ethernet, PCIe, CXL, or UCIe
Experience with lab equipment, FPGA platforms, microcontroller boards, or silicon bring-up is an asset
Strong debugging, problem-solving, and analytical skills
Excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills
Ability to learn quickly and work effectively as part of a collaborative, cross-functional team
Education Requirements:
In study towards a bachelor’s degree in one of the following: Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Engineering Science, Computer Science, or related field
For 16-month internships: must be available May/June 2027 - August/September 2028
For 12-month internships: must be available May/June 2027 - May/June 2028
Expected graduation date of November 2028 or later.
1+ years of academic experience with programming languages such as C, C++, Python, etc
Qualcomm’s Internship Program
Our interns join world-class teams to help define and build what is next for mobility and the world. You’ll be paired with a mentor with visibility to your project and team, receive support from your manager, and have access to the entire Qualcomm employee community to ensure your success. To round out your internship, we host professional development workshops, social events, cross-functional speaker sessions, and an executive speaker series. In addition to competitive hourly pay and accrued vacation time, you will receive housing stipend to accommodate for the duration of your internship.
Application Process
We will review resumes on an ongoing basis, and a recruiter may reach out to you. Advancing candidates may be invited to complete a timed HackerRank challenge to evaluate their technical skill set.
Export Control Notice
This role may require an export license for candidates with citizenship in certain countries (see current country list below – subject to change). Qualcomm, like other companies, is experiencing significant delays in the export license process. Please be advised that if an export license is required, you may not be able to start work with Qualcomm until the license is granted, which may impact your ability to participate in the internship.
Countries requiring export: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, China, Cuba, Georgia, Hong Kong, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Libya, Macau, Moldova, Mongolia, Nicaragua, North Korea, Russia, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, and Yemen.
Applicants: Qualcomm is an equal opportunity employer. If you are an individual with a disability and need an accommodation during the application/hiring process, rest assured that Qualcomm is committed to providing an accessible process. You may e-mail [email protected] or call Qualcomm's toll-free number found here. Upon request, Qualcomm will provide reasonable accommodations to support individuals with disabilities to be able participate in the hiring process. Qualcomm is also committed to making our workplace accessible for individuals with disabilities.
Qualcomm expects its employees to abide by all applicable policies and procedures, including but not limited to security and other requirements regarding protection of Company confidential information and other confidential and/or proprietary information, to the extent those requirements are permissible under applicable law.
To all Staffing and Recruiting Agencies:Our Careers Site is only for individuals seeking a job at Qualcomm. Staffing and recruiting agencies and individuals being represented by an agency are not authorized to use this site or to submit profiles, applications or resumes, and any such submissions will be considered unsolicited. Qualcomm does not accept unsolicited resumes or applications from agencies. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, Qualcomm employees or any other company location. Qualcomm is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes/applications.
Pay range and Other Compensation & Benefits:
$54,600.00 - $103,350.00The above pay scale reflects the broad, minimum to maximum, pay scale for this job code for the location for which it has been posted. Even more importantly, please note that salary is only one component of total compensation at Qualcomm. We also offer a competitive annual discretionary bonus program and opportunity for annual RSU grants (employees on sales-incentive plans are not eligible for our annual bonus). In addition, our highly competitive benefits package is designed to support your success at work, at home, and at play. Your recruiter will be happy to discuss all that Qualcomm has to offer.
If you would like more information about this role, please contact Qualcomm Careers.
Qualcomm designs the Snapdragon processors and modems inside many Android phones, and it licenses its wireless patents to device makers around the world. It helped commercialize CDMA, the cellular technology behind 3G networks, and its patents cover core parts of the 4G and 5G standards that phones use to connect. The company does not run its own chip factories; contract foundries make its chips, which it sells to makers of phones, PCs, cars, and connected devices. Device makers also pay Qualcomm royalties for using its patented technology, which forms a second business alongside chip sales. Qualcomm was founded in 1985 and is based in San Diego, California.
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